⏩ Address : Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
⏩ Public Transport: The best option is to go by Metro; get down at station "Sagrada Família" (Line 2 or Line 5)
⏩ Opening hours: Open daily with the opening times: November - February (9.00 - 18.00) ; March (9:00 - 19:00); April - September: 9.00 - 20.00 ; October(9:00 - 19:00)
⏩ Tickets: Standard price tickets from € 17.00 ; Audio guide € 3.75 ; Kids upto 10 years are allowed free ; 11-30 years, students and 65+ are charged € 15.00.
⏩ Official website: http://sagradafamilia.cat

History of La Sagrada Família in Barcelona

The construction of Sagrada Família began on March 19, 1882. Initially was based on the plans of architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, but in 1883 architect Antoni Gaudí took over and decided to change the original Neo-Gothic design with a modern innovative design. During the Spanish Civil War the construction was on hold (and also some parts were damaged), but the work resumed soon after. Gaudi worked on this construction until his death in 1926, from then several architects have already succeeded him.

The current official delivery date is 2026 (this is 100 years after Antoni Gaudí's death). When the construction of the Sagrada Família is completed, the basilica will be the largest church building in the world. Here’s how it would look like when it’s completed.



What to see in the Sagrada Família?

1. Towers of the Holy Cathedral

In total, the Sagrada Família receives 18 towers; twelve towers symbolize the twelve apostles and four towers around the tower are for the four evangelists around Jesus Christ, plus a celebration tower for Mary and one for Jesus. The celebration tower will eventually become 170 meters high; almost as high as the Montjuïc , the highest hill in Barcelona.

2. Facades of the church

The cathedral will have three facades, each representing a phase from Jesus' life - his birth, his death and resurrection and also the present and future Glory.

C/Marina - the façade of birth (northeast side) is the oldest (built between 1892 -1930), which depicts multiple scenes of Jesus Christ’s birth. C/Sardenya – the façade of passion (south-western) shows the agony of Christ, his death and resurrection; C/Mallorca – the façade of glory is yet to be built and will soon become the main entrance.

The 5 meter high bronze entrance door of La Sagrada Familia is imprinted letters showing 'Give us, O Lord, our daily bread' in 50 different languages.


3. Inside Sagrada Família

The interior of the cathedral is truly impressive. The special columns of the building are architectured like “trees and branches bearing the roof of the temple😊; the structure of branches has the perfect construction to support the weight of the roof and also ensures a perfect diffusion of light and sound. The stained glass windows give a magical effect of spectacular color lighting and create a special feeling of tranquility.

The vault under the altar is the oldest part of the basilica and also the place where Gaudí was buried on June 12, 1926. Through the windows you can take a look at the vault.

4. Sagrada Familia Museum

Underground floor is dedicated to a museum about the Sagrada Família. This museum is included in the ticket price and tells about the history and future of the Sagrada temple - not only original drawings, models and photographs from Gaudi's time but also an explanation of the latest techniques used during construction.

 

Some useful Tips:

💁 TIP 1: The Sagrada's queues are very long and you cannot go the same day in high seasons. So always, plan to buy tickets online, that’s cheaper as well save a lot of waiting time in the queue.

💁TIP 2: Do you also want to visit the towers? Then, you should buy an additional ticket (I was not aware of it, thus lost the opportunity to go-up ☹.

💁TIP 3: Another budget and time-saving option is to buy the Barcelona Card. If you have plan to visit multiple attractions, this would be useful to get “skip-the-line” access and to save some money.