Let’s not forget what Gaudí said about not being able to finish the construction himself.
“It is not a disappointment that I will not be able to finish the temple. I will grow old, but others will come after me. What must always be preserved is the spirit of the work; its life will depend on the generations that transmit this spirit and bring it to life.” A. Gaudí
Has the Sagrada Familia been under construction since 1882?
Yes, dear friends, they have been working on the construction of the Sagrada Família since 1882.
It all started back in 1866 when Mr. Josep Maria Bocabella founded the Catholic Association, “the Devotees of Saint Joseph.” A few years later, they began to campaign to construct an Expiatory Temple dedicated to the Holy Family.
They bought a plot of land in 1881, and in 1882, under the direction of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, construction began. Mr. del Villar resigned one year later, and this was when everything changed. The Association then chose a young man named Antoni Gaudí i Cornet as the new architect, who would devote around 43 years of his life to this unique project.
While he was building all the other fantastic projects we can see in the city, he always made time for the Sagrada Família, and for the last 12 years of his life he worked almost exclusively here.
He was able to finish the Crypt, the apse wall, and one of the façades.
All Barcelonians born before the 90s have clear memories of the church without a ceiling or an inside structure.
Gaudí died in 1926 without having finished the whole construction, and 10 years later, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, his workshop was completely burned out, and most of the paper plans he kept there were lost. Luckily, some very important information, pictures, and plaster models survived.
In 1954, construction of the Pasion Façade began, but the most crucial date in the 21st century was November 7, 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church.
Most of the work since the consecration has focused on constructing the 6 towers on the Basilica’s rooftop. At the end of 2023, the Virgin Mary Tower and the 4 towers of the Evangelists, Matthew, Marc, Luc, and John, had already been completed.
Enjoy this video about the latest progress of the construction of La Sagrada Familia.
2026 was supposed to be the year construction would be completed; it was chosen because it marks the 100th anniversary of Gaudí´s death. This will not be possible, but a fantastic milestone for the project will be reached: the end of construction on the incredible 540-foot tower representing Jesus at the center of the church.
Media from around the world will be in Barcelona next June for the long-awaited celebration of this important anniversary and to mark a brand-new skyline that will change our city forever. Check your favourite networks to find documentaries that explain what is going on before or after your visit to Barcelona.
The next 3 videos from the Sagrada Familia YouTube channel show you one of the most important moments of the Sagrada Familia construction: The placement of the upper arm of the Jesus tower on February 20th, 2026
