Unfinished masterpiece: La Sagrada Familia. Credit: iStock The seven wonders of: La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece might still be unfinished, but this Barcelona basilica is still one of the most impressive feats of art and engineering you will ever lay eyes on. Here’s how to get the best out of a visit.
View the facades Detail from the Nativity Facade at La Sagrada Familia. Credit: Alamy Before you have even set foot in La Sagrada Familia in central Barcelona, it’s clear this is something special. Architect Antoni Gaudi’s famously still-unfinished masterpiece is like no other structure on Earth, something made clear by the initial facade visitors will see, known as the Nativity Facade.
Within this spectacular series of sculptures – the oldest in the basilica, having been constructed between 1894 and 1930 – you will find three portals, themed around the concepts of hope, faith and charity. On the opposite side of the Sagrada Familia, meanwhile, the Passion Facade represents the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a far more skeletal and harsh design. And still under construction, the Glory Facade represents Christ’s eternal glory, and will be the tallest and most impressive of all.
Look up The vaulted ceiling of La Sagrada Familia is a thing of beauty and wonder. Credit: iStock Enter the basilica, and look up. Your life will never be the same.
A dizzying 45 metres high, the vaulted ceiling of La Sagrada Familia .