Sagrada Familia

Although it has been undergoing construction for more than 100 years, the Sagrada Familia is still unfinished. Despite the fact that it is projected to be completed by the 2020s, it is still one of Spain’s most visited monuments as well as a kind of symbol for the city of Barcelona.

The church of the “Sacred Family” served as the project to which Antoni Gaudí dedicated the latter part of his life. With a goal of constructing a building large enough to hold 10,000 people, Gaudí surpassed even his own expectations, ultimately designing a Gothic-shaped church with a temple 95m long and 60m wide which was able to seat 13,000.

Without a doubt, the size of the church is startling. With eight squires that have been compared to everything from perforated cigars to celestial billiard cues that tower more than 100m into the Barcelona skyline. For Gaudí, the squires represented the 12 apostles; he planned to build four more squires and add a 170-meter central dome and tower topped with a lamb, symbolizing Jesus.

However, the reality of the church is still marked by the scaffolding, pallets, dressed stone, cranes, tarpaulins, and fencing scattered about while construction crews are hard at work.

For me, it was particularly interesting because I hadn't been to visit the Sagrada Familia since 2004. Even though it had only been 4 years, it was fascinating to see the building's progress.