Description of the attraction
The expiatory temple of the Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia) is the most significant project of Antoni Gaudi, a work to which he devoted the main years of his career, and which he himself considered the main work of his life. The temple has been built over the years, starting in 1882, and is located in Barcelona, in the Eixample district.
The first architect of the project was Francisco del Villar. In 1883, Antoni Gaudi was invited to continue the work begun, who almost completely changed the original project.
Gaudí left the original plan of the building in the form of a Latin cross and created his own facades of the temple, dedicated to the main episodes of the life of Christ - the facades "Christmas", "Passion of Christ" and "Resurrection". According to the author's grandiose idea, the church building should be crowned with 12 towers equal to the number of the apostles, 4 on each of the facades. The height of the towers is from 98 to 112 meters. In addition, the architect planned to erect two colossal spiers of the church, one of which, 170 m high, surrounded by four towers created in honor of the evangelists, is dedicated to Jesus, and the second, slightly smaller, dedicated to Our Lady. The central spire of Jesus Christ is crowned with a huge cross. All elements of the facades that abound in the Sagrada Familia - columns, portals, sculptures and bas-reliefs - are filled with deep meaning, revealing the content and symbolism of Scripture and church rites.
The construction of the temple was carried out entirely on voluntary donations. During his lifetime, Gaudí only managed to start building the facade of the Nativity. In 1911, the architect created a project for the second facade of the church - the facade of the Passion. Around the same time, he created sketches for the facade of the Resurrection.
The crypt of the cathedral was built in 1882 by the architect Lozano. Here is the grave of Antoni Gaudi and a small museum dedicated to the work of the architect and the history of the construction of the cathedral.
The towers and galleries of the cathedral can be climbed by spiral stone staircases. A magnificent panorama of Barcelona opens up from above.
The Sagrada Familia is a work in which all facets of Gaudi's skill and extraordinary talent were fully revealed, this is an outstanding work in which the star of the great genius lit up with a bright light.
The construction of the Sagrada Familia continues to this day. According to the Spanish government, it will only be completed by 2026.
