Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona , Spain, that is still under construction today. Its full name is La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia (The Church of the Holy Family). The church was designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí . Gaudí’s distinctive proposal has made the church one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe.
The Sagrada Familia is designed in Gaudí’s personal style, which features vivid colors and flowing lines and spaces inspired by nature. It also reflects the influences of the Catalan region in which he was born and his love of Gothic architecture. Gaudí created vaults (arched ceilings) using catenary curves and traditional Catalan construction techniques. A catenary curve has a shape similar to that of a rope hanging from two points. He designed diagonal supports that resemble flying buttresses, external wall supports that were popular in the Gothic architecture style of the later Middle Ages. The Sagrada Familia has 18 towers. They represent Jesus Christ; his mother, Mary; the 4 gospels of the New Testament; and the 12 Apostles of Jesus. When completed, the central tower representing Jesus Christ will be more than 560 feet (170 meters) tall.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 under the Spanish architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883 Villar resigned, and Gaudí took over as chief architect. In 1914, Gaudí abandoned all other work and devoted the remainder of his life to the project. At the time of his death in 1926, less than 25 percent of the construction had been completed.
