Basilica de la Sagrada Familia Print

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) of Barcelona in Catalonia (Spain), or more simply Sagrada Família, is a large Catholic basilica (minor) masterpiece of the architect Antoni Gaudí, the leading exponent of Catalan modernism. The vastness of the scale of the project and its characteristic style have made it one of the main symbols of the city; according to the data of 2011 is the most visited monument in Spain, with 3.2 million visitors. The works began in 1882 under the reign of Alfonso XII of Spain. The building was started in the neo-Gothic style, but when Gaudí took over as the designer of the work in 1883, at the age of 31, it was completely redesigned. For the rest of his life Gaudí worked at the church, devoting himself entirely to the last 15 years. According to the auspices of the promoter committee the work could be completed, at best, for 2026, 144 years after the laying of the first stone and 100 years after the death of Gaudì, however the progress of the works is discontinuous and depends largely from the inflow of donations. As happened for other projects destined to last one or more centuries (for example the Basilica of San Pietro or the Duomo of Milan), the church was consecrated as yet unfinished, on 7 November 2010, by Pope Benedict XVI, who elevated it to the rank of minor basilica.