Barcelona – Sagrada Familia

On the same day, after visited Park Güell, we headed to Sagrada Familia. Sagrada Familia is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death. Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the project’s vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it one of Barcelona’s and Spain’s top tourist attractions for many years.

The unique about Sagrada Familia is that the construction on Sagrada Família is not supported by any government or official church sources. Private patrons funded the initial stages. Money from tickets purchased by tourists is now used to pay for the work, and private donations are accepted through the Friends of the Temple.

Recently, the Ministry of Public Works of Spain has projected the construction of a tunnel for the high speed train just under where the principal façade of the temple has to be built, that’s why there are lots of SOS banners around the Towers of Sagrada Familia. Although the ministry claims that the project poses no risk to the church, the engineers and architects of the temple disagree as there is no guarantee that the tunnel will not affect the stability of the building.

More pictures on Flickr