The Story of the Never-Ending Church: Exploring La Sagrada Familia

İrem Uğur
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La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) is a basilica in Barcelona, Spain, which Antoni Gaudi, one of the pioneers of modern architecture, took over in 1883 but was left unfinished after he was killed by a tram in 1926. Its construction is still ongoing. 

Let's take a look at the story of La Sagrada Familia, popularly known as the unfinished church!

Although it is not yet completed, the Sagrada Familia, which will be the most magnificent structure in the tourist guides' program in Barcelona, is not only impressive in terms of design, but also serves as an architecture lesson in terms of the construction process.

Gaudi, who devoted almost his entire career to this building, did not see its completion, and now it awaits completion in the hands of a large architectural team.

The story of the Sagrada Familia dates back to 1882. As a result of disagreements between the first architect of the building, Francisco de Paula del Villar, and the supporters of the church, Gaudi became involved in the project in 1883.

It is not known whether Gaudi, who devoted his career to this building from that day until his death, foresaw a hundred years of incompletion, but when asked about his 43 years of work, he answered 'my employer is not in a hurry'. The church, which was located in an area where cows grazed around it when it was started to be built, is today in the middle of the city.

Perhaps if it were built a century ago, the impact it would create would have been different from the present city center surrounded by apartment blocks.

On the other hand, the fact that this building, which has an architectural design symbolizing an era, is being completed in a different architectural time is another factor that makes the project interesting. The Sagrada Familia project, the product of a long and painful work, is now in its 135th year and the construction is still not completed.

During this long period, construction was interrupted many times. After Gaudi's death in 1926, construction began to slow down due to lack of funds and the outbreak of civil war. The outbreak of World War II dealt a second blow to construction.

Moreover, the architect's original drawings and models were badly damaged, and the project then took the form of an interpretation of the remaining plans. The construction took so long that the first parts of the building had to be restored before its construction was completed. It is the only building in history to be restored before its construction was completed.

Gaudi's strong architectural design is another factor that made the construction process difficult. Mark Burry, the chief architect of the completion project, uses the phrase "a gigantic sculpture in the city" to describe the building.

Indeed, the building, which Gaudi worked on with the meticulousness of a sculptor, contains serious details that require care and attention.

In contrast to the supporters of the completion project, which was based on guesswork as a result of the destruction of Gaudi's original drawings, there were those who argued that the building had lost much in terms of architectural style and design.

For example, Gaudí's desire to use stone in the church, but the use of concrete in the completion project was interpreted as disrespectful to the architect's ideas. Daniel Giralt, director of the city's MoMa, said that 'it is impossible to imitate the spirit of Gaudi' and that the construction should be terminated and Gaudi's work preserved.

In the face of this, those who supported the continuation of the construction responded that "a building cannot be treated as a painting".

Professors from the school of architecture argued that even though the architect was dead, the project was not, that Gaudi himself had predicted that he would not be able to complete the project, and that the church should be completed not to sanctify the architect but to respect the project.

Gaudi designed the church as three different facades. The Nativity Facade was the first part of the church to be built.

This section, the construction of which was controlled by Gaudi himself, was completed between 1894 and 1930. It is known that Gaudi wanted to finish this facade, which contains many details referring to the birth of Jesus, perhaps because he thought that he would not see the completion of the construction.

Passion Facade has a very simple design in contrast to the decorative intensity of the first facade.

The construction of this façade, which refers to the passion of Jesus and his suffering at the crucifixion, began in 1954. Between 1976 and 1987, a team of sculptors completed the towers of this section.

Construction of the Glory Facade, the largest and most influential facade, began in 2002. The facade, full of references to the divine glory of Christ and the ascension of humanity to God, is based on a model Gaudí created in 1936.

After Gaudi's death, a team of professionals from various disciplines has been leading the Sagrada Familia completion project. The construction process, now accelerated with today's technologies, is scheduled to end in 2026.