What do the Facades of the Sagrada Familia mean? | Barcelona

What do the Facades of the Sagrada Familia mean? | Barcelona

From a distance, it seems almost unreal. Spires 
twisting upward as if the stone itself is still in motion. Step closer and the details multiply. 
Creatures, symbols, stories carved into every surface. It overwhelms, it invites, it demands 
attention. It’s been under construction for over a century and people still come from every 
corner of the world. This is Sagrada Familia. And the question hangs in the air: After all these 
years, all this wonder, is it worth the journey? With more than 4.5 million visitors 
per year, the Sagrada Familia is the most visited monument here in Spain. And in 
today’s video, we are going to figure out if it’s actually worth the hype to enter it 
or not. But before entering the Sagrada Familia, I want to walk you a little bit through the 
history of this basilica that was designed by one of the most genius architects of 
modern times, Antoni Gaudí. But who was Antoni Gaudí and why is the Sagrada Familia 
still not finished 99 years after his death? What is really interesting to mention is that 
Antoni Gaudí wasn’t the first architect who started the Sagrada Familia and neither was it 
his idea. The idea came from Joseph Maria Bocabella who wanted to build a church that was completely 
financed through donations. He wanted to dedicate it to the Holy Family and promote family values. 
So the first architect who started to build the Sagra familia in 1882 was Francisco de Paula de 
Villar. But pretty soon differences arose between Bocabella and Villar. While Villar wanted to build the church 
in a gothic style way more conventional than what we see today. Bocabella had other things in mind. 
Villar resigned in 1882 and at only 31 years old, Antoni Gaudí took over this massive project and 
redesigned the whole construction. Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect that designed various 
famous places in Barcelona. Gaudí dedicated a big part of his life to this project which started 
when he was only 31 years old and he kept working on it until his death in 1926 when he was hit 
by a tram. In his last months, he even lived in the Sagrada Familia. And after his death, they 
placed his tomb inside of the crypt. Until today, his project is still not finished. Gaudí knew 
very well he would never see it finished. Yet, he began anyway. Gaudí ensured that there would 
be many drawings and models that would resemble his vision so that after he died, someone 
would be able to finish this masterpiece. Antoni Gaudí used a very unique technique in 
all of his buildings. He built various ones, most of them being here in Barcelona and the Sagrada 
Familia is probably his most famous piece. His style was unique. He wanted to represent nature and 
all of his buildings are rather smooth with round edges. The Sagrada Familia, for example, has a 
shape of a triangle. However, you won’t be able to see that at first glance because of all of these 
rounded curves in the Sagrada Familia. However, due to its shape, the Sagrada Familia has three facades. 
Each of them represents a specific time in the life of Jesus Christ. This one here behind me, for 
example, is the nativity facade. It represents the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. What 
you can see here behind me is that there are basically three arches here on this facade. Each 
arch represents one member of the holy family. By the way, holy family in Spanish is Sagrada Familia. So 
now you also know where the name of this basilica comes from. The left arch here is dedicated to 
St. Joseph while the right one is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. And the one here in the center 
is dedicated to Jesus Christ. And even though the Sagada Familia is not yet finished, we can already 
see many details here in the facades. Each detail has a story to tell. Nothing here is coincidence. 
On top of the portal, we can see the birth scene of Jesus Christ. We can see Joseph, Jesus, and 
Mary. And at their sides, an ox and a donkey. It is the center of the facade. And this scene 
also gave the facade its name. On the left side, we can see the three magi who are bringing gifts. 
And up there is also the star that guided them. And all these holes that you can see here in the 
towers, they also have a purpose. Gaudí saw the Sagrada Familia as a huge organ. The holes are meant 
to distribute the sound of the bells of the towers so that you can hear them all over the city. The 
top of the towers have typical mosaics created by Gaudí. He used this technique in various 
architectures he designed and it is kind of his signature style. Before we continue to the 
opposite side of the Sagrada Familia to have a look at the next facade, you might notice that there 
are different colors here on the right side and on the left side. That is because the center part 
here of the facade is the oldest part of the Sagrada Familia. It was also the only part that Antoni 
Gaudí managed to finish himself before he died. This here is the passion facade and it 
is probably the most dramatic facade as it represents the death of Jesus Christ. I 
believe it is very interesting to see the huge difference between this facade and the one we saw 
before. As you can see, this one has less details and it is rather harsh and sharp. The design 
was meant to be like that. Gaudí wanted this facade to be bare and hard as if made of bones. 
And you can see the structure there behind me, the large columns that kind of seem to be like 
tense muscles and the smaller columns above it. They kind of resemble a rib cage. On the left, we 
can see the scene that represents the last supper. And down there is a dog that represents loyalty. 
Just a little bit further on the right side, we can see Judas kissing Jesus, a sign of 
betrayal. In the center of the passion facade, we can see Jesus Christ on the cross. And just 
a bit further on top, there is a golden stage here that stands out. This is Jesus Christ rising 
up to heaven. Before we enter the Sagrada Familia, now I want to show you the last facade that 
is actually far from being finished yet. This here is the third and last facade. It is the 
glory facade. And as you can see, you can’t see that much yet. It is not finished at all. This 
is supposed to be the main entrance of the Sagrada Familia. It is facing the sea as Gaudí wanted it to 
be. But at the time the Sagrada Familia was planned, there was less traffic. There were no cars. 
There were buildings on this side here. So nowadays there’s a huge problem. First of all, 
it is planned to build like a structure that is going to cross the road here. But then, as you can 
see, there are buildings here. So, the neighbors here in the area are actually very worried 
about what is going to happen to their homes. Once completed, the Sagrada Familia will have 18 
towers in total. The one in the center will be dedicated to Jesus Christ and it will be the 
highest tower. The second highest tower is the one that has the star on top of it. It is on the 
abs of the basilica and it is dedicated to Virgin Mary. At its completion, the Sagrada Familia will be 
the highest building in Barcelona and with 172 m, it will also be the highest religious building in 
Europe. However, it was very important to Gaudí that the Sagrada Familia would not suppress Montjuïc, 
which is a hill that is located here in the city. He said that something man-made should never 
be higher than something that was made by God. I could go on and on telling you more stories 
about the towers and the details of the Sagrada Familia. However, I believe it is now time 
to enter it because I also don’t want to overwhelm you with all the information. To enter 
the Sagrada Familia, you must book your tickets in advance. And I do recommend you to do this at 
least one week in advance because their slots sell out quickly and you will get a specific 
time slot assigned. If you miss the time slot, you also miss your chance to enter the 
Sagrada Familia. So if you want to enter it, make sure to check out the link in the 
description below to book your tickets in advance and experience the beautiful and 
stunning inside of this basilica as well. Wow, this is insane. This is so beautiful. 
I feel tiny in here. It is huge. The walls are so tall and I love the light that shines 
through the glasses. This really is a piece of art. It’s absolutely stunning. 
You can see the columns here in the center of the basilica and they even have a 
purpose. First of all, as mentioned before, Gaudí always tried to incorporate nature in 
his architecture. And these columns here, they look kind of like trees and that is on 
purpose. However, they also have a very important purpose because they actually hold the roof of 
the Sagrada Familia. So, it’s not just decoration. It is very important to have them. The inside 
of the Sagrada Familia is very different from other cathedrals. There are hardly any statues or art 
in here. That is because it’s all outside on the walls. This basilica lives from the space inside 
and the light that shines through the windows. In the center, there is a Jesus Christ on 
the cross. And look at the details. There are grapes up there standing for the last 
supper. Here we have the facade of glory. It’s the one that we have seen from the outside 
which is not finished yet. Here we can now see the door that shall be the main entrance 
once the basilica is finished. The Lord’s prayer is written in its center in Catalan. But 
around it, the prayer has been translated into 50 different languages, a symbol that the 
Sagrada was made for everyone. Originally, it was planned to finish the Sagrada Familia by 
2026, but especially the pandemic slowed down the construction tremendously. Nowadays, they 
only plan to finish the highest tower by 2026. There will still be a lot of details missing 
and these details will take a lot of time. Now, is it worth the hype to visit the Sagrada Familia? It 
is up to you to decide. Let me know in the comment section below if you prefer to wait for the 
completion of the Sagrada Familia or if you also would like to visit it right now already. It overwhelms, 
it dazzles, it confounds. Every spire, every arch feels impossibly intricate yet unfinished. A 
dream suspended between devotion and ambition. Visitors marvel yet sometimes strained to grasp 
its scale, its contradictions. It is chaotic, human, divine, a place where wonder and 
unease coexist. To leave is to carry both awe and the quiet discomfort of realizing 
some things can never be fully understood, only experienced. And perhaps that is exactly 
why it matters. The Sagrada Familia is unfinished. It is alive and it inspires today, tomorrow, 
for generations yet to walk with these souls.

The Sagrada Familia is probably the most famous building in Barcelona. It is also Barcelona’s most visited attraction. The Sagrada Familia is with almost 5 Million visitor per year the most visited sight of Spain and the highest religious building of Europe.

The Sagrada Familia holds many records. But is the Sagrada Familia worth a visit? In the end, it is still not finished yet even though the Sagrada Familia is under construction since more than a century.

In today’s video I will walk your though the history of the Sagrada Familia and Antoni Gaudí the architect of this famous basilica.

#sagradafamilia #antonigaudí #barcelona #barcelona2025 #barcelonaguide

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