The stunning La Sagrada Família is a must - see for any holidaymaker passing through Barcelona . The towering , still - under - construction basilica is darling designer Antoni Gaudí ’s most celebrated work . The building of this decorative marvel began in 1882 and is currently on-going . Though it is the most travel to monument in Spain , welcoming more than three million visitors each class , La Sagrada Família is still very much a place of adoration — so much so that Pope Benedict XVI ordain the Christian church in 2010 . The Temple adjudge Sunday quite a little once every pair of months , and there are special inflict hours for The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament and Penitence , which is reserved for prayer .
Whether you visit La Sagrada Família to take in its intricate and fascinating design , or as part of a holy pilgrim’s journey , it is truly a curiosity to behold . Below are 9 things you might not have heard about Spain ’s ultimate attraction .
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1 .
The first completed window dressing is titledThe Birth of Christand within this facade are three portals : " The Portal of Hope , " " The Portal of Mercy , " and " The Portal of Faith . " The side on " The Portal of Mercy " are really sculpted from the expiry masque of diseased Barcelona citizen , as well as detergent builder of La Sagrada Família — it was Gaudí ’s way of paying tribute to these multitude .
2.La Sagrada Família will take longer to dispatch than the Egyptian Pyramids of Egypt . It commence in 1882 and is hop to be completed in 2026 ( the centenary of Gaudí ’s death ) , though it might not be finished until as late as 2040 . The Great Pyramid , by comparison , only charter 20 age .
3.The labor was first commissioned for Francisco Del Vilar by the Spiritual Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph . He built the crypt , but after originative disagreements he drop the site and it was passed over to Gaudí .
4.Gaudí disliked neat lines and angles because they do n’t often come along naturally . Instead , he based his blueprint on the swirling curves of nature .
5.There is endless natural symbolisation within La Sagrada Família . The upcountry structure is supported by large pillars that await like trees . One mainstay has a polo-neck at its base , and another a tortoise in ordering to show the balance between land and sea .
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6 .
Gaudí did n’t just utilize the innate domain for breathing in ; he used it to develop architectural technique . Gaudí take apart plant , animals , and geothermic shaping to see how they of course bear frame and weight . The orbit of the whiz was used to contrive the helicoidal pillar .
7.Gaudí believe that no man - made object should be manufacture high than the body of work of God . Therefore , La Sagrada Família , when completed , will tower at 170 measure ( 560 ft ) , which was designate to be one meter less than Barcelona ’s high point in time , Montjuïc pitcher’s mound .
8.In 1936 , a radical of anarchist and revolutionaries define fire to the crypt and destroyed the shop which control all of the program and models — gratefully a scarce few were pull through .
9.The holy place was built to be seen from all points of the city . It has glass mosaic at its highest points , which when reflected by sun or moonlight routine as beacon to guide seafarers home .
