Sagrada Família, Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia is a large Roman Catholic Church in Barcelona, Spain. Work commenced on the building in 1882 and 129 years later the church is yet to be finished. Sagrada Familia dominates the sky line and some of the best views of the church can be seen from some of the cities higher vantage points such as arc de Montjuic. It is reported that the church will be completed in 2026 and I can't wait to return to Barca one day to see the finished article.

~The Architect~
This spectacular piece of architecture was designed by the Antoni Guadi, who's best architecture also resides in the Barcelona. Gaudi was born in Barcelona in June 1852 and was at the forefront of what is now known as Catalan Modernism. Guadi's work has a big influence on the city, but there is no doubt in my mind that Sagrada Familia is his greatest work.

~The Church~
After seeing this truly breath-taking building it came to no surprise to me that it has been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sagrada Familia was consecrated a minor basilica church by Pope Benedict in November 2010.

The church had these 4 huge spires that seem to stretch endlessly into the sky. These are round at what is known as the Nativity Facade and this side of the building is my favourite. In the middle of the huge spires, my eye was draw to a scene which as the name suggest depicts a nativity seem. Buried in the roof above the scene are these small mosaic like tiles, added some colour and fine detail. The figures which make up the scene are very modern looking, even by today's standard. The amount of detail on the spires, is amazing, they are full of colour and have a completely handmade look to them.

The other parts of the Sagrada Familia are the Passion Facade, which is much simpler in design than the Nativity Facade. There is also the Glory Facade, which was only started in 2002. It is the Glory Facade that will be the main entrance into the central nave and is the largest of the three.

The church is as stunning inside as it is out. The level of detail never failed to amaze me and when I think back to how much of this much have been achieved without the use of modern building techniques and tools it blows me away.

~Admission~
Entry to Sagrada Familia with cost 12.50 euros when I was in Barcelona, March 2011 or 13.50 for an audio guide included. The day I visited the queue was long, but it moved fairly quickly. I think you should be prepared to queue for approximately 30 minutes. It is well worth paying the admission fee as the architecture inside the building is amazing.

According the website, opening hours are 09:00 - 18:00, October to March and 09:00 - 20:00 April to September.

~Getting There~
You can get to Sagrada Familia via Barcelona's metro system. I believe there is a stop on both the East and West sides of the building and you want to go on the Blue or Purple lines.

~Summary~
This is a truely spectacular building and no end of superlatives could describe it. It is a must see if you are in Barcelona. I feel in love with the building so much that I went back the next evening to see what it looked like at night. It was even more dramatic looking as it reached into the night sky. I will definitely be returning to see the finished article.

I took an endless amount of snaps of the building and was blown away with the amount of detail that went into the building. It is safe to say it's the first building that I have ever seen and said 'Wow' out loud! As I followed my guide map and turned the corner, I had no idea what I was about to see - spectacular.

Website - http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/

Also posted on Dooyoo as hunts1874.