The Sagrada Familia

We've been here for many weeks and still had yet to set foot inside the Sagrada Familia.  I had been putting it off because I was intimidated by the long lines to buy tickets.  But I needn't have worried; the website allows you to book in advance (you have to select an arrival time) and we didn't even need to have a paper printout - we could just use our phone to display the admission tickets.  And the advance tickets get to skip the line and go right inside, which was awesome.  We showed up at 11:50 (a little early) and walked right in at noon.

The basilica has been under construction since 1882 and is not expected to be completed until sometime in 2026.  Antoni Gaudi began working on the design in 1883 - he took over from a more "traditional" architect and radically changed the design of the church to be more in line with the modernist aesthetic.

Kevin came to Barcelona in 1996 and at that time, it was only possible to see the exterior of the church and go up in the towers, but the interior of the church was not yet finished enough to allow visitors.  Eventually, the Sagrada Familia will have three exterior facades: the Nativity, the Passion, and the Glory.  The Glory facade is still under construction, but the other two have been completed.

The Nativity facade looks like it's melting.  The reliefs and sculptures on the facade tell the story of the birth of Jesus.

The Passion facade is more futuristic and angular.  It depicts the crucifixion and has a very distinctive angled portico.

Passion facade and detail of the crucifixion scene

The facades are impressive however, as someone who loves stained glass, the interior was the best part.  On the outside the cathedral seems gothic and heavy, whereas inside the light comes from everywhere and the ceilings seem to reach up to the sky.

Columns mimic tree trunks and branches

Stained glass fills the interior space with a rainbow of colors

It is somewhat difficult to get a good perspective of the basilica just from photos, so Kevin took this photosphere to show all the details inside (you can click anywhere inside the photo to scroll to see a 360-degree view):

Views: Barcelona, Spain by Kevin Salt

As I mentioned, construction is ongoing; workers were busy both inside and out.  Unfortunately, Gaudi only saw the completion of the Nativity facade and the crypt before his untimely death in a traffic accident.  The construction suffered another setback when most of Gaudi's models and diagrams were ransacked and destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.  Since that time, researchers have been continuously piecing together his models and plans to help complete the project in the spirit of the original design.

Bust of Gaudi in the basilica's museum

Hopefully someday we will be able to return to Barcelona and see the finished work!