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After 137 years, a building permit has been issued for Antoni Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The cathedral, with 18 towers, is set to be completed by 2026 and will become the tallest religious building in Europe. Only eight towers have been completed so far.
Some 137 years after architect Antoni Gaudí began building La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a building permit has finally been issued. Gaudi devoted much of his life to building the multi-towered cathedral until his death in 1926. Construction has continued ever since, using the Catalan modernist’s plaster models and photos of his original designs. Gaudì’s ambitious project included 18 towers, 12 of which to represent the biblical disciples. Though construction is slated for 2026, only eight towers are complete, and it’s possible some of the distinctive spiers will never be built.
And the building continues:
If the Roman Catholic basilica actually reaches 566 feet (173 m), the maximum height envisaged by Gaudí, it will become the tallest religious building on the European continent.
The foundation stone for the basilica was laid in 1882, but Barcelona officials say there are no documents to show that a building permit, first applied for in 1885, was ever granted.
The newly acquired building permit is valid until 2026. If the church is completed by then, the nearly 150-year construction period will be longer than that of the Egyptian pyramids. It took about 200 years to build the Great Wall of China.
