Sagrada Familia is a masterpiece work by Spanish Ace architecture Antoni Gaudi. Located in Barcelona, it is one of the largest Catholic Churches in Europe. La Sagrada Familia was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was proclaimed as a minor basilica in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. It is still under construction since it was started in 1882 and it is expected to be completed in 2026.
Top 10 Unknown Facts about La Sagrada Familia:
- In 1882, the initial plan and crypt were started by Vilar but due to some conflicts he resigned from the project and Gaudi came into the picture. Ace architecture Antoni Gaudi took over the project in 1883 and made radical changes to the original plans.
- Sagrada Familia was an idea of Book Seller named Josep Maria Bocabella. After visiting numerous churches in Vatican he got an idea of building Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
- The complete name of La Sagrada Familia is Basilica I Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia and According to reports, Sagrada Familia attracts more than 5 million visitors every year.
- Sagrada Familia is still under construction and expected to complete in the year 2026. As of October 2016, this basilica is estimated to be 70% complete.
- Without the use of computers, it couldn’t be possible to speed up construction. As in the past architectures had to rely on paper sketches but thanks to the invention of computers in the 20th century and as result progress speeded up rapidly.
- Money for constructing Sagrada Familia comes from the sale of the tickets and private donations. The annual cost for constructing this basilica is around 25 million Euros and the maximum amount is coming from the sale of tickets. In other words, all visitors who are coming to visit La Sagrada Familia are contributing to the construction.
- Gaudi was very religious and wants manmade structures should be shorter than god made structure. Montjuic hill is the highest point in Barcelona of 171 meters and decided the basilica height should be 170 meters.
- On its completion, it will be the tallest religious building in the whole of Europe with a remarkable 170-meter height.
- During the Spanish civil war in 1936, most of Gaudi’s plans and models were destroyed by revolutionaries and anarchists.
- Being not a big fan of straight lines, Gaudi said that nothing is straight in nature and he has done exactly in this church by making radical curves, patterns, sculptures, and pillars with freehand.
Want to visit Sagrada Familia? Then book your tickets in advance and free yourself from standing in long queues. Guided Tours are also available in different languages which help you to explore Gaudi’s work in this cathedral. After visiting Sagrada Familia we bet you will want to see Gaudi’s other creations in Barcelona which are Park Guell, Casa Vicens, Casa Batlló, Casa Calvet, Colonia Guell, and Casa Mila.
