Sagrada Familia Timeline

After Gaudí's death, work continued under the direction of his main disciple Domènec Sugrañes i Gras until it was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

Image source: Domènec Sugrañes i Gras

In July 1936, anarchists from the Iberian Anarchist Federation set fire to the crypt and broke into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí's original plans. Some statues were also destroyed during the war.

In 1939, Francesc de Paula Quintana took over site management, continuing with material saved from Gaudí's workshop and plans reconstructed from published plans and photographs.

Since 1940, the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Garí and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work of completing the basilica.

Author and critic George Orwell, mistakenly referring to it as a cathedral, called the Sagrada Família "one of the most hideous buildings in the world" in 1938.

In 1984, UNESCO granted World Heritage Site status to three Gaudí buildings in Barcelona under "Works of Antoni Gaudí – No 320 bis", though Sagrada Família was not yet included.

Time magazine called the Sagrada Família "sensual, spiritual, whimsical, exuberant" in 1990. By then it drew an estimated 3 million visitors annually, becoming symbolic of Barcelona itself.

In 2005, UNESCO extended the inscription for Works of Antoni Gaudí – No 320 bis to include four additional buildings, with item 320-005 covering two sections of the Sagrada Família: the Crypt and the Nativity façade.

Image source: List of Gaudí buildings

On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in front of a congregation of 6,500 people and proclaimed it a basilica.

Starting on 9 July 2017, an international mass has been celebrated at the basilica every Sunday and holy day of obligation at 9 a.m., open to the public until the church is full.

LEGO released its largest set ever in 2026, with 12,060 pieces forming a model of the Sagrada Família. As of 2026, fourteen spires have been completed, corresponding to eight apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ.

Image source: Lego

On 10 June 2026, Pope Leo XIV blessed and inaugurated the completed Tower of Jesus Christ at the basilica during his visit to Spain, coinciding with the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death.

Image source: Pope Leo XIV

In 2008, some renowned Catalan architects advocated halting construction to respect Gaudí's original designs, though those plans were not exhaustive, were partially destroyed, and have been partially reconstructed. That same September, Subirachs' doors of the Glory façade were installed.

Construction began on 26 March 2010 on an AVE high-speed rail tunnel running near the Sagrada Família beneath the centre of Barcelona, a controversial project. In October 2010, the tunnel boring machine reached the area under the building's principal façade.

On 19 April 2011, an arsonist started a small fire in the sacristy which forced the evacuation of tourists and construction workers.

In 2012, Barcelona-born Jordi Faulí i Oller took over as architect of the project, succeeding Jordi Bonet i Armengol, who had directed the works until then.

Since 2013, AVE high-speed trains have passed near the Sagrada Família through a tunnel that runs beneath the centre of Barcelona. Service through the tunnel was inaugurated on 8 January 2013.

Chief architect Jordi Faulí announced in October 2015 that construction was 70 percent complete and had entered its final phase of raising six immense steeples, planned for completion by 2026, with decorative elements expected by 2030 or 2032 per a 2017 estimate.

Image source: Sagrada Família

In August 2017, Barcelona was the target of a series of Islamist-motivated terrorist attacks commonly referred to as the La Rambla attacks, affecting the city where the basilica stands.

Image source: 2017 Barcelona attacks

In October 2018, Sagrada Família trustees agreed to pay city authorities €36 million for a building permit after 136 years of unlicensed construction. The permit was issued by the city on 7 June 2019. Since 2018, stone for completion has been sourced from Withnell Quarry near Chorley, England.

On 11 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, construction temporarily stopped and the basilica closed. It reopened, initially to key workers, on 4 July 2020. The slowdown threatened the anticipated 2026 completion schedule.

On 30 October 2025, the Sagrada Família became the world's tallest church after a part of its central tower was lifted into place reaching 162.91 m, surpassing Ulm Minster (161.53 m). By 2025 the site drew an estimated 5 million visitors annually.