Barcelona's unfinished basilica: How well do visitors know Sagrada Família?

Sagrada Família is an unfinished basilica in the center of Barcelona designed to tell the story of Jesus Christ through its towers, facades, and decorations.

Internationally renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, a Catalan Modernist icon, designed the building, which began construction in 1882. 

Although the basilica is not finished yet, it is still one of the most visited sites in Barcelona, with more than 3.7 million visitors in 2022 and 82.2 million since 1915, when visits started.

But do tourists know the building they are really visiting upon entering the Sagrada Família?

Most of the visitors come because it is one of the first things that appear on the internet when searching for what to do in Barcelona. With 4.7 stars in Google, it is the top result that comes up. 

"It's one of the main things that I saw on the internet. The first thing I saw to sightsee Barcelona: Sagrada Família," a tourist called Simon from Germany told Catalan News during a visit to the temple. Simon came in late July to Barcelona for the first time.

It is also the first time in the city for Briney and Anastasia, who, apart from looking it up on the internet, got the recommendation from some friends.

"We have some friends that had come back and told us this is the biggest 'work in progress' church or basilica, and that is what it is famous for. So we wanted to check it out and see what the fuss was about," they told this media outlet. 

For Sheila and Denis, who were visiting from Florida, Sagrada Família was their mainstop in Barcelona. Google recommendations did not play an important role in their choice, but rather their faith did.

"We are devout Catholics, so any place we visit, we always try to visit the churches that are there, but this one is absolutely beautiful," the couple said.

In Sagrada Família, everything has a reason. Gaudí paid very close attention to every detail when designing it and the symbolism it gave to every element. The architect wanted the basilica to represent "the Bible made of stone," and with every facade, the viewer gets a specific element of Jesus' life story. 

Gaudí also took a lot of inspiration from God, religion, and nature, and a lot of the elements of the church are based on the view the architect had of them. However, those details are not always appreciated by visitors, and neighbors do not welcome some of them. 

"The stained glass windows really stood out to me. But in general, the artistic work here is unbelievable. It also amazes me that it occurred so long ago, and they had this kind of talent!" Sheila told Catalan News.

"Before I listened to the audio guide, I did not understand why everything was shaped this way," Corey said to Catalan News. 

"The guide explained that it represents nature, and it just put it in a whole new perspective. I like it more now that I'm walking through it with an idea of what everything means," he added. 

Sagrada Família is expected to be finished by 2026, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí's death. 

Once it is complete, the tallest tower of the Sagrada Família will stand at a height of 172.5 meters. That is just below the peak of Montjuïc, the highest point of the city, because Gaudí wanted to ensure that no man-made object would ever overtake the natural world and God's work.