The Sagrada Familia did not begin to rise in Barcelona; it emerged in Sant Martí. Among open fields of dirt, the first stones of what was to be a church dedicated to the Sagrada Familia, designed by the diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, began to be laid. But disagreements over material prices led to his dismissal, and that's when a new architect was chosen: Antoni Gaudí. "The complexity of the Sagrada Familia has been growing since its foundation," illustrated the general director of the basilica, Xavier Martínez, in a new session of the Moments Estel·lars cycle, alongside the chief architect, Jordi Faulí.
And it is that, since the first stone was laid in March 1882, the Sagrada Familia has only grown, in dimension and in constructive and management complexity, until crowning its summit with the Tower of Jesus. But reaching the top does not mean, by far, the end of construction. There is still the Glòria facade, which will be the main one of the temple. "Its magnitude and constructive effort is greater than that of the towers," Martínez highlighted in the session, organized by The New Barcelona Post with the collaboration of Casa Cupra Raval, Must Media Group and Barcelona Global, to address a historic moment for the basilica, marked by the Gaudí Year, the Tower of Jesus and the Pope's visit in June.
"The stone pieces that the towers have are 20,000. For the Glòria facade, there will be 100,000. Five times more," Martínez emphasized in the debate, moderated by UPF-BSM professor and journalist Toni Aira. In addition, the facade designed by Gaudí includes another element: the staircase to overcome the five-meter difference in level of Mallorca street with respect to Provença street, where residential buildings are now located: "We are in contact with the City Council, to see what form is the most suitable for the neighbors to win, the city to win and the Sagrada Familia to win."
Gaudí, architect of the future
And it is that, despite being born among open fields, "the Sagrada Familia has been growing with the city, and has been integrating into the urban core." For this reason, the basilica has had to adapt to its transformed environment, with measures such as the relocation of a large part of the constructive works."The Sagrada Familia is not built on Mallorca street; it is built in two external factories, and at the Sagrada Familia what we do is assemble the pieces." These are very different techniques from those that began to erect the temple, which has seen both the city and artistic techniques and trends evolve. From the beginning, however, Gaudí already foresaw that changes would come, although he did not know when or in what form: "He built for the future," Faulí emphasized.
The board of trustees already has the proposals requested from artists Miquel Barceló, Cristina Iglesias, and Javier Marín, and will now deliberate on which one will adorn the Glòria facade.So much so that Gaudí "desired that the Holy Family be incardinated in every historical moment". The people who would build the temple, the artists, the techniques, the technology, would evolve, and the basilica should also do so in line with the times, as Faulí has defended. This philosophy will also be reflected in the Glory facade: it will explain the concepts of heaven and hell, and "everything that the Church and Christ propose to reach Glory," as Gaudí already put forward "in a very pedagogical and very clear way." But, "although the content will be that, the contemporary contribution will be in the artistic expression," which must be appropriate for this historical moment," Faulí has defended.
In fact, the Constructing Board is already making progress in defining this artistic expression. A year after the board asked artists Miquel Barceló, Cristina Iglesias, and Javier Marín to create artistic proposals for the facade, the three proposals have already been delivered. "Now, the board will deliberate. At this moment, there is a lot of work." When will the decision be revealed? "There is no date," Martínez said. The basic project for the facade, however, has already taken shape, as Faulí detailed.
And after construction?
Thus, the temple continues to advance in its construction, with that desire to see it completed in ten years. Despite this progress, "the Sagrada Familia is a timeless project," according to Faulí, who believes that, once the main constructive parts are finished, "it will be possible to better understand how Gaudí imagined the project." And what will happen when this construction is finished? There will still be work to do, and the Sagrada Familia plans to reinforce an area it has been committed to for years:social action. Since 2023, it has financed more than300 social projects with a total of more than 11 million euros."We are moving from a constructive work to a social work. When resources for construction are reduced, they will go to the social action fund, aimed at the most vulnerable groups," Martínez advanced. And the Sagrada Familia is much more than its construction. "The Sagrada Familia is a synthesis of architecture, symbolism and art," Faulí proclaimed. Always, following Gaudí's principles, and the architect's maxim that Martínez recalled: "Originality is returning to the origin."
And that origin, for the Sagrada Familia, is that of an expiatory temple with which it has built "a unique model in the world" not only in architecture, but also in management and financing. This conception of the basilica as an expiatory temple meant that its construction advanced based on donations throughout the 20th century, which "conditioned the pace of construction" due to the lack of sufficient resources. Everything changed when in 1992 photos from the Montjuïc Municipal Pool made the world wonder about that peculiar building that was seen under construction in the middle of the city. Tourists began to arrive at the Sagrada Familia, and multiplied with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, reaching 4.8 million people who visit the temple annually.
"The arrival of tourism was a turning point. The entrance fee paid by visitors is a contribution to the construction of the Sagrada Familia. It is a unique model in the world, and it has allowed us to change speed," Martínez explained. Thus, the pace of construction has increased based on visitors, after decades in which the works followed the pace of donations. "We are the fifth generation building the Sagrada Familia, and we have many resources that our predecessors did not have. Thanks to tourism we can stably finance the construction. And now think about its completion."
This tourist aspect adds complexity to the basilica, whose management oscillates between three spheres: construction, worship, and visitors. At this point, the temple approaches Barcelona residents with open days and activities. "15 years ago, the perception was that we were more geared towards tourists than locals. We have made many efforts to reverse this," Martínez highlighted. To questions from the public about the possibility of Barcelona residents having free tickets, the general director of the basilica reaffirmed his commitment to open days, which are offered for Mercè and Santa Eulàlia with 15,000 tickets each. Those registered always exceed the number: "We have seen the growing interest of citizens, who want to participate in the Sagrada Familia, and increasingly do so."
"The interest in the Sagrada Familia fills us with pride, because it means we are connecting." And even more so in a historic year, with the Tower of Jesus at its highest and with the visit of Pope Leo XIV scheduled for June. "It is a recognition, a gift," Martínez praised. It is the "icing on the cake" for a historic moment, for a basilica that looks to the future through the Glòria facade, and always with the originality of its origin as a beacon.