Sagrada Família construction 1882–2034

First stone on 19 March 1882, begun by Francisco de Paula del Villar in a Neo-Gothic style. Gaudí took over in 1883. The crypt was the first part completed.

Gaudí devoted the rest of his life to the basilica. He advanced the apse and Nativity façade; only one bell tower (St Barnabas, 1925) was finished in his lifetime. At his death in 1926 the work was less than 25% complete.

During the 1936 Spanish Civil War the workshop was ransacked and many of Gaudí's plaster models and drawings were smashed or burned. Work stalled for years and resumed by reconstructing what survived.

The Passion façade was begun in 1954 and its structure finished in 1976. The stark sculptures by Josep Maria Subirachs were installed from 1987 to 2009.

The nave and main roof were completed, finishing the interior. On 7 November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and granted it the status of minor basilica.

Construction of the central towers ramped up in 2015: the Tower of the Virgin Mary (2021), the four Evangelist towers (2022–2023), and finally the central Tower of Jesus Christ in 2026.

Even after the main structure, finishing works continue — above all the monumental Glory façade (the main entrance). The Construction Board projects full completion in the early 2030s (around 2034).