Barcelona Sagrada Familia, a World Heritage Site

The only largest Catholic church under construction in the world that is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site as a project under construction is the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, ​​designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. On November 7, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and declared it a minor basilica. Construction of the Sagrada Familia began on March 19, 1882, under the leadership of architect Francisco de Paula del Vera. Gaudí only took over as chief architect in 1883 when Vilar resigned, transforming the project with his architectural design and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the rest of his life to this project, and he is buried in the crypt of the church. At the time of his death in 1926, the project was less than a quarter complete. Relying solely on private donations, construction of the Sagrada Familia progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, revolutionaries set fire to the basement and broke into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí’s original plans, drawings, and plaster models. This resulted in a 16-year process to piece together the fragments of the master model. Starting in 1950, construction work resumed but progress was slow. Advances in technology such as computer-aided design and computer numerical control have since sped up the schedule, and in 2010 construction passed the midpoint. But some of the project’s biggest challenges remain, including building 10 more spires, each symbolizing an important figure in the New Testament. When I visited the Sagrada Familia again on January 30, 2020, it was expected that the entire project would be completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death, but due to the epidemic, it will most likely be postponed again. #OverseasTravel #Church #HistoricBuildings #SpainTravel #Spain #Barcelona #BarcelonaTravel #Barcelona #WorldHeritage #WorldHeritageCulturalRelics #sagradaFamilia #barcelona #unesco