Sagrada Família Construction Timeline 1882–2034

First stone on 19 March 1882, begun by del Villar in a Neo-Gothic style; Gaudí took over in 1883. The first mass was held in the crypt's St Joseph chapel in 1885.

Gaudí devoted his life to the basilica, advancing the Nativity façade (the Faith, Hope and Charity portals), its four bell towers and the Rosary cloister. Only St Barnabas (1925) was finished in his lifetime; at his death in 1926 the work was under 25% complete.

During the 1936 Spanish Civil War the workshop was ransacked and many of Gaudí's plaster models and drawings were destroyed. The painstaking reconstruction of those models from surviving fragments has guided the design ever since.

Begun in 1954; the structure, with its leaning columns and four bell towers, was finished in 1976. The sculptor Subirachs worked here from 1987, creating bronze doors (Gethsemane 1995, Coronation 1997, the central Gospel door 2000) and sculptural groups until 2004.

Tree-like columns of four different stones rose, and the main nave vaults were completed in 2000, followed by the crossing/apse vaults, main roof and the high altar with its baldachin. On 7 November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church. The nave's stained glass (Vila-Grau) was made over nearly 20 years from 1999.

The six tallest towers ramped up in 2015: the Virgin Mary (138m, 2021), the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John / 135m / 2022–2023), and finally the central Tower of Jesus Christ (172.5m) in 2026 — completing all 18 spires for the first time.

The monumental Glory façade, its four apostle towers (Peter & Paul, 117m; Andrew & James the Great, 112m), the Chapel of the Assumption and the sacristies are still under construction. Full completion is projected for around 2032–2034 (dates are estimates).