Imagine a church that started in 1882 and is still under construction. 

According to the poet Joan Maragall, the Sagrada Familia basilica is, “the poetry of architecture, a temple that will never be finished, that is constantly becoming”

The architect, one of the greatest architects ever, Antoni Gaudi died in 1926, nearly a century ago. He knew this iconic structure could not be finished in his lifetime, thus he left a detailed plan and sketch of his vision for future architects to follow. In fact he was not a part of the project when it started, he joined the project a year later. 

In 1930 during the Spanish civil war people broke into the crypt and destroyed the plans. It took 10 years to rebuild. The pace picked up again in the mid 1950’s. The construction work had to be stopped once again for sometime, during the Covid pandemic. Nearly 150 years after the project was conceived, it is almost complete now. The idea was conceived in 1872. 

The Sagrada Familia is regarded as one of the wonders of the modern world but that wasn’t always the case. 

Salvador Dalí described it as “terrifying and edible beauty” while George Orwell considered it “one of the most hideous buildings in the world”. 

In 1984, the building was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI for religious worship in 2010. You don’t have to be religious, to appreciate the brilliance of Sagrada Familia. The attention to detail, the life-like features on the statues depicting the Birth, Life and Death of Jesus is spectacular. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when the light streams through the stained glass windows, it creates a beautiful show of light inside the basilica.

Photos and content by Prerna Jain