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Amazing facts about La Sagrada Familia

It used to be known as the Roman Catholic Church, but in 2010 the Pope declared it a basilica.

The building was designed by a famous Spanish artist Antoni Gaudi but it was not completed.

Its like walking into a magical building as the sun shines through the coloured glass windows!

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It is the most visited place in Spain with more than 3 MILLION visitors each year!

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It is the most visited place in Spain with more than 3 MILLION visitors each year!

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Spain Travel 4K Drone - Barcelona - La Sagrada Familia

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Do you know there are two people who are buried in this building?

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Antoni Gaudi the famous architect and Bocobella who started everything.

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By Michelle Yastremsky

Out of all the breathtaking sites of Barcelona, there's one that literally towers over the rest: the otherworldly Sagrada Familia. Construction for this architectural masterpiece began over 150 years ago, and is finally slated to be completed in 2026!

If you're planning a trip to Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia will want to be at the top of your itinerary alongside Gaudi's other masterpieces. But be sure to reserve tickets online ahead of time, as lines for this majestic cathedral can be up to 3-4 hours long!

Here are six fun facts about the Sagrada Familia

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1. It's been under construction for over a century

Construction for this architectural masterpiece began in 1882, and continues to this day! Gaudi knew the project would not be completed in his lifetime but had no concerns since according to him his "client is not in a hurry."

2. It used to be the site of a school

During the beginning of the cathedral's construction, a school was built called the Sagrada Familia Schools building. This building was for the children of the construction workers commissioned to work for the Sagrada Familia.

3. Gaudi is buried there

Visitors to the Sagrada can pay homage to the psychedelic architect at his tomb, which is located in the underground level of the Sagrada Familia.

4. It's a man-made masterpiece, inspired by nature

The intricate symbolism carved into the structure all ties back to one theme: nature. In fact, the cathedral's interior pillars resemble trees, and seem to warp in shape depending on what angle you view them from!

5. It's the tallest religious building in Europe

Or it will be, once construction is finished. The Central tower will be over 550 feet tall! Gaudi believe that no man-made object should be constructed higher than the work of God, so the size of the towers was intended to be 1 meter (about 3 feet) shorter than Barcelona's highest point, Montjuic Hill.

6. Builders of the Sagrada Familia are immortalized in stone

One of the Sagrada Familia's many facades you'll find a collection of faces embedded within the stone; these faces are sculpted from the death masks of deceased Barcelona citizens as well as builders of the great work.
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Out of all the breathtaking sites of Barcelona, there's one that literally towers over the rest: the otherworldy Sagrada Familia. Read on for fun facts about the Sagrada Familia.

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La Sagada Família is one of the most iconic monuments in Barcelona, and one can easily become overstimulated when visiting it. But don't worry! Here are some amazing facts to help you understand La Sagrada Família, written by a historian.
Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez

Pro Tip: Planning your visit to Sagrada Familia in Barcelona? Bookmark this post in your browser so you can easily find it when you're in the city. See our Barcelona Guide for more planning resources, our top Sagrada Familia tours for a memorable trip, and how to visit the Sagrada Familia.

11 Things You Should Know About La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

La Sagada Família is one of the most recognizable sites in Barcelona and receives thousands of tourists each year. It is in the Eixample district of Barcelona, not far from the Agbar Tower (or Torre Glories), La Monumental building, and the villa de Gracia. Read on to know everything possible about one of the most authentic gothic cathedrals in the world since the middle ages.

Reading up on an attraction will make a guided tour more memorable and interesting! You will impress your travel partners with your vast knowledge and engage more with the guide. To improve your travel experience, check out our guided tours of Barcelona!

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our best Barcelona tours to take and why.

11. It's Unfinished

It is not unusual to visit historical monuments that have scaffolding around them. This is because they require a lot of maintenance. However, in the case of La Sagrada Família, the scaffold has been permanent since the very day when the construction started in 1882. In fact, the building hasn't been finished yet: the predicted finishing date is 2026.

One of the reasons for such a slow construction is that Sagrada Família relies purely on donations for funding. La Sagrada Família was also affected by the death of Gaudí in 1926, the Spanish Civil War, and the lack of certain materials during the 20th century. All of these issues have caused delays.

10. It is NOT the Main Cathedral of Barcelona!?!

A lot of people confuse it with the cathedral, but it is not. The only cathedral in Barcelona is la Catedral de Santa Eulàlia which is a late medieval church. Originally, La Sagrada Família was conceived as an "expiatory temple": a religious building to atone for sins.

In 2010, La Sagrada Família became a basilica, which means the church has a privileged status directly given by the Pope to perform special ceremonies. Moreover, if we were to make a church ranking, a basilica would only be outranked by a cathedral. So, although not a cathedral, it is a very important religious building.

9. Victim of the Spanish Civil War

During the Spanish Civil War, the construction work at La Sagrada Família stopped. The Spanish Civil War saw the burning of many places of worship at the hands of anarchist factions. And the crypt in La Sagrada Família suffered this same fate. Unfortunately, the crypt contained the construction plans and sketches many of which caught fire.

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Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Sagrada Família Guide for more resources.

8. Built by Gaudi

Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet was born in 1852 in Reus: a town in the province of Tarragona, Catalunya. He came from humble origins: his father was a coppersmith and, his family faced financial hardship throughout his lifetime. Thanks to the historical record, we know he wasn't a particularly good student at any point in his life. Yet, he qualified as an architect in 1878 and started working on many projects around Barcelona. He started working in La Sagrada Família after the previous architect quit in 1883 and spent 43 years working on this project.

His contemporaries called him either genius or madman. For modern historians like myself, Gaudí was, in fact, a visionary that opened new doors for the world of art and architecture. He was avant-garde, a revisionist, an innovator, and uncannily conservative. Gaudí received the patronage of the Güell family, who was one of the driving forces behind Catalan industry and economy. This relationship built in a strong admiration for Catalan culture will be crucial for Gaudí's success and legacy as an artist.

Gaudí died in 1926. A tram hit him while walking not far from La Sagrada Família itself. As an elderly man, Gaudí became incredibly insular and let himself go. Unfortunately, this meant that he looked to the pedestrians like a beggar when he suffered an accident with the tram, so no one came to his aid. As a result, he was eventually taken to a hospital for the poor where he died unidentified and alone. His remains lie in the crypt at La Sagrada Família.

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Sagrada Família Guide for more resources.

7. Symbol of Catalan Modernisme

Originally, Francesc de Paula del Villar i Carmona designed La Sagrada Família as a traditional gothic church. However, when Gaudí took over, he changed his style. Gaudí found inspiration in Goethe and Ruskin to reproduce natural forms in his work. He wanted to break away from previous historical styles and develop his own. He mastered plasticity and structural forms. This means art shapes that could be easily shaped and structures that are solid pieces of strong material. The combination of these elements created a lot of dynamism and contrast.

During this time, Gaudí style became an icon of a new type of art: Catalan modernism. This style developed as a reclamation of Catalan culture and identity in the early 20th century. At this time, Catalunya was embracing its roots as well as modernity. Catalan modernism was a movement of unification of all the Catalan people, arts and crafts, and architecture was its champion. Although Gaudí wasn't trying to follow specific styles, he did embrace Catalan identity and culture, which shows in his work, including La Sagrada Família.

6. No Right (90°) Angles

There isn't a single exact right angle in any of the features of La Sagrada Família. This is because of the fluid style and formations that Gaudí favored. Moreover, he took inspiration from nature, where 90-degree angles don't exist, so they shouldn't have been incorporated in such a piece of art.

5. Spires with Stories

La Sagrada Família should have 18 spires. These would have representations of the 12 apostles, the 4 evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Christ. However, it only has 9 so far. Besides, to get to the top, you need to use a spiral staircase with over 400 steps. So, if you are planning on going up, beware! These spires are 100 meters tall. In addition, in November 2021, they added a huge 12-pointed star to the Virgin Mary Spire, which now illuminates this beautiful building at night.

4. Consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI

La Sagrada Família was not consecrated until 2010, despite being a church since the 19th century. In that year, the church finally had a completed nave, which was sufficient for the consecration mass done by Pope Benedict XVI.

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Not ready to book a tour? Check out our best Barcelona tours to take and why.

3. A Quest for Stones

As you can imagine, La Sagrada Família requires a lot of materials and resources for its construction, which is a current issue for the technical team. The main stone used for building the church is Montjuïc stone, which is only found in Montjuïc Mount (Barcelona). Unfortunately, the quarries there were nearly depleted by the early 20th century. This type of stone is special because as a siliceous sandstone, it is not the most abundant type of sandstone in Catalunya.

Therefore, the technical team went on a quest to find similar sandstones elsewhere. Although the search is still ongoing, they now use sandstones coming from Galicia and Cantabria (Spain), Scotland, and England. However, new stones and materials are incorporated from faraway places: the ever-expanding list includes blue granite from Brazil and red porphyry from Iran.

2. Special Mass

La Sagrada Família is not only a tourist attraction; it is also a religious community. In fact, it provides some masses that you wouldn't be able to find in any church. For example, La Sagrada Família now caters to the international community!

Every Sunday at 9 AM the archdiocese of Barcelona provides this special mass, which is available in multiple languages. They also host extraordinary masses that require you to have a special visitor ticket. Moreover, some of these masses are also available for people to view over the internet, so if you can't make it, you can still enjoy it through a screen!

1. UNESCO Heritage

La Sagrada Família is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1984 alongside other works by Gaudí. However, only the crypt and the Nativity Façade are part of the list. Furthermore, these were the only 2 items of the church that were mostly finished when Gaudí died. The crypt was already in the works when Gaudí joined the project, so it still displays the neogothic style proposed by the previous architect.

The Nativity Façade was created by Gaudí, although it was finished in 1930, 4 years after his death by a new architect that followed his designs. It shows the birth of Jesus, and it displays the best of Gaudí's naturalistic style. When he started constructing this part of the building, he knew that he would not see the whole project finished.

Therefore, he chose this because he believed this façade would resonate better with the public. In Spain, the birth of Jesus is still an important celebration. For instance, we traditionally display a nativity scene for Christmas and celebrate the 6th of January when the 3 Wisemen supposedly went and performed the adoration of the newborn saviour. Therefore, the Nativity Façade was a message of hope and celebration.

Now that you know all this, you are ready to enjoy La Sagrada Família. See you in Barcelona!

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11 Incredible Facts About La Sagrada Familia

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If you're looking for a stunning sight to take in a while in Barcelona, Sagrada Familia is the place to go. With its 18th-century architecture and beautiful grounds, it's no wonder this religious complex has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. But what you might not know is that there are a lot of secrets to Sagrada Familia that you may not have heard about. Here are some amazing facts about the famous basilica that will make you want to stay awhile.

10 amazing facts about Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

It's been under construction for over a century

It may come as a surprise but it is among some of the oldest buildings in the world to be still under construction. The construction of Sagrada Familia started in 1882. The architect Gaudi had designed such a magnificent structure but it was evident that he would die before it was finished. Currently, builders are expecting to complete construction in 2026.

Gaudi was buried there

Antoni Gaudi was the mastermind behind this project and just a few days after he was hit by a tram, he passed away. They buried his body on the underground level in a tomb and visitors from any part of the world can see it whenever they visit. Gaudí's tomb is held in the chapel dedicated to the El Carmen Virgin.

It used to be the site of a school

In the early construction years of the structure, Gaudi built a school called the Sagrada Familia Schools building. The school was for the construction workers' children. Designed in 1909, currently, the school is an exhibition of the Sagrada Familia.

It's a man-made masterpiece that is inspired by nature

Antoni Gaudi drew his inspiration from nature when constructing the structure. It is quite contradictory because the majority of cathedral buildings have straight designs. He skilfully designed the structure from what he saw in nature.

Builders of the Sagrada Familia are immortalized in stone

To honor all those who worked tirelessly in building the Sagrada Familia, they had to embed the faces of the builders within the stone of the building.

It's the tallest religious building in Europe

One outstanding feature of this structure is its height. He designed the central tower to be approximately 170 meters. He believed that nothing made by man should be taller than God's creation, for this reason, it is one meter shorter than the mountain of Barcelona, Montjuïc.

La Sagrada Familia is an UNESCO World heritage site

La Sagrada Familia is a building that Gaudí masterfully designed and, despite not being finished, UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site in 1984 because of its unique architecture and how Gaudí created something so artistic and innovative.

The symbolism

The interior pillars resemble trees and, when looking up, the shapes of the pillars change as do those of the trees. Gaudí designed images of a turtle and tortoise on these pillars to represent the water and earth.

It's no longer a cathedral

It is interesting to know when the building started. It was meant to be a simple Roman Catholic Church. Later on, things changed and it became a cathedral. However, when Pope Benedict XVI declared it as a Basilica, it stopped being a cathedral.

There are elevators inside

For such a tall building, having elevators inside is such a good thing. However, it may surprise you because of how thin the towers are! Nonetheless, visitors can see the highest and lowest parts of the structure with the elevators.

If you are a lover of Sagrada Familia building, do not miss the post we wrote about the best viewpoints in Barcelona in which you can get an exclusive view of La Sagrada Familia. On the other hand, if you are more interested in history and interesting facts about this mediterranean city, you can read about interesting facts about Barcelona.

Where to stay in Barcelona

If you want to enjoy all these curiosities about the Sagrada Familia, we recommend staying at the Catalonia Sagrada Familia hotel, located a few meters from the center and 15 minutes walk from the basilica.

It has free wifi, a swimming pool to cool off after visiting the city and a free fitness room for guests.

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Amazing Facts about Sagrada Familia in Barcelona | Catalonia Hotels & Resorts Blog

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Did you know that Gaudí was buried in the Sagrada Familia? If you want to discover more interesting facts about Sagrada Familia do not miss our post.