La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona is full of amazing architecture, mostly thanks to the late great Antoni Gaudi. His work can be found throughout the city, and are instantly recognisable. What he and Barcelona are most famous for though, is the Sagrada Familia, a church that began construction on 19 March 1882, and is still unfinished today. The church was one of Gaudi’s last buildings before he died.

The building is huge, and there has been so much effort and detail gone into the workmanship that there is no wonder it hasn’t been completed yet. There are a total of 18 towers, 2 connected by a bridge and very steep spiral staircases! There are three facades, the Nativity facade, Passion facade, and the Glory facade which is still incomplete. Each one has its own style, the Nativity facade is extremely detailed, depicting the birth of Jesus. This was the first facade to be built whilst Gaudi was alive. The Passion facade is on the opposite side to the Nativity facade, and is dedicated to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Glory facade faces the south-east and is the main facade.

The interior is just as awe-inspiring and impressive as the exterior. There are huge columns that appear to grow into the ceiling. Gaudi wanted the columns to look like trees, and that exactly what they made me think of when I first saw them. The stain glass windows look modern and fit right in with the architecture.

The building is already a landmark for Barcelona, even Spain, and it is yet to be completed. After seeing this and some of his other work when I was in Barcelona, he became one of my favourite architects. Pictures don’t do it justice, and I highly recommend visiting Barcelona just to see his architecture!