Landmark Europe
Sagrada Família
The Sagrada Família is a giant church in Barcelona, Spain. Its towers look like tall, bumpy sandcastles. People have been building it for more than 140 years!
The Sagrada Família is a huge church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí. Building began in 1882 and is still going on. In February 2026 its tallest tower was finished at 172.5 meters, making it the tallest church in the world.
Begun in 1882 to a neo-Gothic design by Francisco de Paula del Villar and transformed by Antoni Gaudí from 1883, the basilica has been built over five generations, largely funded by visitors. Its Nativity façade and crypt are UNESCO World Heritage (2005), and the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ on February 20, 2026 brought it to 172.5 m.
Photo: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Sagrada Família
The Sagrada Família is a church in Barcelona, a city in Spain. Its name means Holy Family.
It has many tall towers covered in bumps and carvings. Workers started it long, long ago. They are still building it today!
The Sagrada Família is a Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain. It is one of the most famous buildings by the architect Antoni Gaudí, whose unusual, curving designs look almost like they grew from nature.
The first stone was laid in 1882, more than 140 years ago, and building is still going on. In February 2026, workers lifted the last piece of a giant cross onto its central tower, which is now 172.5 meters tall. That makes the Sagrada Família the tallest church in the world. Millions of tourists visit every year, and their tickets pay for much of the building work.
The Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family is a Catholic basilica in Barcelona and a work of the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852 to 1926). Its official history calls it a temple "promoted by the people for the people," which five generations have watched rise; the Associated Press reports that entrance fees largely fund the continuing work.
On February 20, 2026 the upper arm of the cross was placed on the Tower of Jesus Christ, completing the exterior of the central tower at 172.5 m (566 ft). The AP notes that the basilica had already become the world's tallest church in October 2025, passing the 161.53 m spire of Ulm Minster in Germany. Interior work on the tower continued afterward, and the tower was lit for the first time in June 2026, at events marking the centenary of Gaudí's death.
- Cornerstone laid
- March 19, 1882
- Architect
- Antoni Gaudí (from 1883)
- Height
- 172.5 m (566 ft), since February 20, 2026
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Nativity façade and crypt, 2005
A church built over five generations
First, an architect named Francisco de Paula del Villar drew the plans. Then Antoni Gaudí took over.
Gaudí worked on it for the rest of his life. He saw only one tower finished. After he died, other architects kept going, using his plans.
The first design, from 1882, was by the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, in the neo-Gothic style usual at the time, with pointed windows. After disagreements about the cost, Antoni Gaudí took over in 1883 and turned it into an ambitious plan for "the church of the future." From 1914 he worked only on this church, until he died in 1926. Of all its towers, he saw just one finished, in 1925.
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, many of Gaudí's plans and photos were burned and his plaster models smashed. Builders pieced his ideas back together from what was saved, and the work went on.
Diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar's 1882 design was neo-Gothic, with pointed windows, buttresses and a pointed bell tower; technical disagreements over the cost of materials led to his replacement, and in 1883 Gaudí took over, turning it into an ambitious proposal for a church of the future. Bishop Urquinaona laid the cornerstone on March 19, 1882. Work on the Nativity façade began in 1891, and from 1914 Gaudí worked exclusively on the project. The bell tower of Saint Barnabas, finished in 1925, was the only tower he saw completed.
After his death in 1926 his disciple Domènec Sugranyes continued. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the building was vandalized: plans and photographs were burned and plaster models smashed. From 1939 Francesc de Paula Quintana rebuilt the project from rescued material and published plans and photographs. A succession of architects followed, with Jordi Faulí as head architect from 2012, still working to Gaudí's plans.
How it is being built
Building this church takes a very long time.
Long ago, workers used wooden ladders and frames. Today they use giant cranes. Big stone pieces are made first, then lifted up high.
Until the middle of the 1900s, builders still used wooden scaffolding. The staircase of the Nativity façade was built in 1952, the Passion façade's bell towers were finished in 1976, and from 1986 to 2010 builders put up the columns, vaults and walls of the huge main hall, called the nave.
In 2016 work began on the six tallest towers in the center. From 2019, big stone panels for them arrived ready-made and were lifted into place. In 2020, two of them grew taller than the towers on the façades.
The official chronology notes that wooden scaffolding was still used until the mid-20th century. The Nativity façade staircase dates from 1952, the Passion façade's foundations from 1954 and its bell towers from 1976, with sculpture groups commissioned from Josep Maria Subirachs in 1986. From 1986 to 2010 builders laid foundations and raised the columns, vaults and façades of the main nave, transepts, crossing and apse; the nave won Barcelona's 2010 City Award for architecture.
The six central towers were begun in 2016, and from 2019 prefabricated stone panels arrived on site. In April 2021 a single 10.8 m section, the longest piece raised so far, was lifted onto the tower of the Virgin Mary. Construction stopped in March 2020 for the Covid-19 emergency and resumed that October.
Façades and towers
The church has big carved fronts, called façades. Gaudí worked on one of them himself.
In the middle are six very tall towers. One has a shining star on top. The tallest has a cross.
The church has façades, or fronts, on different sides. The Nativity façade is the part Gaudí worked on himself, and UNESCO protects it, together with the crypt below the church, as a World Heritage Site. On the other side is the Passion façade, with sculptures added from the 1980s.
In the center rise six tall towers. The tower of the Virgin Mary, 138 meters tall, is topped with a twelve-pointed star that lights up. Four towers named after the Evangelists stand 135 meters tall. The central Tower of Jesus Christ is the tallest of all, at 172.5 meters, with a four-armed cross.
UNESCO lists Gaudí's work on the Nativity façade and the crypt as part of the serial property "Works of Antoni Gaudí," recognizing his contribution to architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Passion façade, founded in 1954, carries Subirachs's sculpture groups, and a cross was placed on top of its pediment in 2018.
The central group of six towers was completed in stages: the tower of the Virgin Mary (138 m), crowned in November 2021 by a twelve-pointed star on a shaft clad in blue-to-white ceramic trencadís mosaic; the four towers of the Evangelists (135 m), inaugurated on November 12, 2023; and the Tower of Jesus Christ (172.5 m), whose cross, according to the basilica's rector, has four arms so that its shape can be recognized from any direction.
- Tower of Jesus Christ
- 172.5 m (completed 2026)
- Tower of the Virgin Mary
- 138 m (completed 2021)
- Four towers of the Evangelists
- 135 m (completed 2023)
- First tower finished
- Saint Barnabas bell tower, 1925
The Sagrada Família today
Today, the church is open for visitors and for prayer.
Visitors can go up into the towers. In the mornings, everyone keeps quiet for one hour. The work is still not quite finished.
The church was consecrated, or officially opened for worship, on November 7, 2010. Today it is both a working church and a place that millions of tourists visit. From February 2026, the first hour of each day, from 9 to 10 in the morning, is a quiet hour, when visitors must use earphones and keep their voices low.
Although the tallest tower is complete outside, work inside the towers and on other parts of the church continues. The AP reports that millions of tourists visit each year, and their entrance fees pay for much of the construction.
Consecrated on November 7, 2010 and designated a minor basilica, the Sagrada Família functions both as a Catholic church and as a major international attraction; the AP links the acceleration of work in recent decades to its popularity and reports that entrance fees largely fund construction. Since February 2, 2026, the basilica observes a quiet hour from 9:00 to 10:00 each morning, with audio only through earphones; as a place of worship it also sets a dress code for visitors.
All of the basilica is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility except the towers, which visitors climb without bags. Completion of the exterior of the central tower in February 2026 did not end the project: the AP reported that the basilica remained years away from completion.
Amazing facts
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Gaudí saw only one tower finished.
Antoni Gaudí worked on the church for more than 40 years, but the bell tower of Saint Barnabas, finished in 1925, was the only tower he saw completed.
The Saint Barnabas bell tower on the Nativity façade, completed in 1925, was the only tower Gaudí lived to see finished; he died the following year.
-
One tower has a big star on top that lights up.
The tower of the Virgin Mary is topped with a twelve-pointed star. It was lit for the first time in December 2021.
The star of the tower of the Virgin Mary, lifted into place on November 29, 2021, was first lit on December 8, 2021.
-
Visitors' tickets help pay for the building work.
The church is paid for mostly by the people who visit: their entrance fees fund much of the construction.
The AP reports that entrance fees largely fund construction, which has sped up in recent decades as the basilica became a major international attraction.
-
The cross on the top has four arms.
The cross on the tallest tower has four arms, so you can recognize its shape from any direction.
As Gaudí planned, the crowning cross has four arms so its shape reads from every direction, the rector told the AP.
Words to know
- basilica
- an important church that has been given a special title
- façade
- the front or side face of a building
- cornerstone
- the first stone laid when a building is started
- crane
- a tall machine that lifts heavy things high up
- scaffolding
- a temporary frame that workers stand on while they build
- mosaic
- a picture or pattern made from many small pieces of tile or glass
Discovery challenge
-
Which city is the Sagrada Família in?
In which city does the Sagrada Família stand?
In or near which city are all seven of UNESCO's Works of Antoni Gaudí?
- Barcelona
- Madrid
- Rome
Show the answer
Barcelona
Barcelona! It is a city by the sea in Spain.
It stands in Barcelona, on the coast of Spain.
Barcelona: all seven buildings in UNESCO's 'Works of Antoni Gaudí' are in or near the city.
-
Which architect made the church his life's work?
Which architect took over the Sagrada Família in 1883?
Who replaced Francisco de Paula del Villar as architect in 1883?
- Victor Laloux
- Antoni Gaudí
- Robert Smirke
Show the answer
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí! He worked on it for many years.
Antoni Gaudí took over in 1883 and worked on the church until he died in 1926.
Antoni Gaudí, who turned del Villar's neo-Gothic plan into a proposal for the church of the future.
-
When did workers lay the first stone?
In which year was the cornerstone of the Sagrada Família laid?
In which year did Bishop Urquinaona lay the cornerstone, on March 19?
- 1682
- 1882
- 1982
Show the answer
1882
In 1882. That is more than 140 years ago!
The cornerstone was laid on March 19, 1882, and work has gone on ever since.
March 19, 1882, a year before Gaudí took over the project.
-
How tall is the tallest tower?
How tall has the Tower of Jesus Christ been since February 2026?
What height did the completion of the cross on February 20, 2026 give the basilica?
- 17.25 meters
- 172.5 meters
- 1,725 meters
Show the answer
172.5 meters
172.5 meters! It is the tallest church in the world.
172.5 meters, higher than any other church in the world.
172.5 m (566 ft), above the 161.53 m spire of Ulm Minster.
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Barcelona
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, lies on the Mediterranean between mountains and the sea. It is famous for the buildings of the architect Antoni Gaudí, including the Sagrada Família, a giant church begun in 1882. About 1.7 million people live in the city (2025).
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Madrid
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Barcelona and describe the Sagrada Família as a church designed by Antoni Gaudí.
- Explain why the building has taken more than 140 years, and how builders continued after Gaudí's death.
- Compare old and new building methods, from wooden scaffolding to cranes and ready-made stone panels.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Gaudí knew he would not see the church finished. Why might someone start a project that others will complete?
- After Gaudí's plans and models were damaged, builders worked from photos and printed plans. How would you rebuild something from clues?
- Gaudí's towers look like shapes from nature. What natural shapes would you use in a building?
Try at home or in class
- Drip wet sand from your fingers to build tall, bumpy sand towers, then compare their shapes with the church's towers.
- Make a mosaic by gluing small pieces of colored paper onto a card in a pattern, like the tiles on Gaudí's towers.
Key vocabulary: basilica, façade, cornerstone, crane, scaffolding, mosaic
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- History of the Temple , Sagrada Família (official site, Junta Constructora)
- FAQs , Sagrada Família (official site, Junta Constructora)
- Barcelona's Sagrada Familia reaches maximum height (Associated Press, February 20, 2026) , America Magazine
- Works of Antoni Gaudí (World Heritage List 320) , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.