Sagrada Família reiterates plans to build Glory Façade's stairways

Barcelona's unfinished Sagrada Família basilica is planning to reach its highest point in the upcoming months with the construction of the Tower of Jesus. However, their major problem continues to be the main façade: the Glory Façade.

Architect Antoni Gaudí had planned a large stairways crossing over Mallorca Street. The steps would go from Glory façade to Aragó street, around 60 meters in length. To do so, they will need to demolish several buildings which would see around 3,000 people evicted. 

"We will finish Gaudí's work," Xavier Martínez, general director of the Sagrada Família construction board, told media outlets on Thursday during a press conference.

"Sooner or later," Martínez believes there will be a deal between the temple and those neighbors potentially affected by the construction plans.

Listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode published in December 2021 on the building's mysteries and the eviction threat thousands of residents face.

Earlier in the week, Barcelona's deputy mayor Laia Bonet was asked about the residents in the area. She said that negotiations are still ongoing and that it is required to face a solution to a problem caused by "temporality."

Although, she highlighted the need to ensure the right to housing all of affected residents.

Currently, Sagrada Família is starting to build the Glory Façade with its towers and sculptures, and the managing team considers the stairways an "independent" project.

Earlier this week, the unfinished basilica announced that they had commissioned the creation of the proposals for the façace to three different artists such as Miquel Barceló, Cristina Iglesias, and Javier Marín.

Large 6,000 sqm square

The city council is planning to reorganize the area surrounding the temple to make it more pedestrian-friendly and accommodate the thousands of visitors to the site.

Local authorities will transform Marina Street into a large open area connecting the Plaça de Gaudí and the Provença and Mallorca streets.

The proposal is to create a large open area that is both a square and an extension of the park near the building to allow large gatherings.

The square will become a "meeting point," deputy mayor Bonet told journalists.

A similar message said by the site's construction board director. "We are very happy as it will improve the area's mobility," Martínez told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) a day after the council unveiled its plans.

Works are expected to start in September and will be ready by Spring next year, with an investment of around €2.7 million.

€3.5 million to 94 third sector entities

The Sagrada Família's second edition of its Social Action Fund registered 530 projects, out of these 269 were eligible to be funded.

After consideration, the construction board chose 94 different third sector entities, which almost doubles the 56 entities funded during the first edition of the event.

The €3.5 million funding was shared across 26 municipalities, five more than last year's edition.

Most of the projects, 27.66% focused on the fight against poverty, 26.6% on health issues, and 24.47% on children, teenagers, and youth.

The next fund will be almost €5 million, around 40% more than last year's budget.