The Sagrada Familia is undoubtedly the most famous piece of Gaudi architecture, although paradoxically he was not the one who initiated the work and much less the one to complete it. Started as an Expiatory Church, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia was financed by private funds from particular donations and the entrance fees of the more than two and a half million tourists who visit this temple each year. Construction work started in 1882 based on a gothic revival style plan designed by the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar after consulting with the Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph. A year later, Francisco de Paula abandoned the project, leaving Gaudí to take the reins of what would be his most majestic work.

As you will see throughout this visit, the temple is full of symbolism, both inside and out. The basilica, dedicated to the "Sagrada Familia" or Holy Family, tells the biblical tales of its respective members: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in each of the parts into which it is divided, in addition to being able to observe the multiple ecclesiastical references of various kinds, which enhance the religious significance of this architectural work. With all this, you are about to discover an unparalleled construction guided by the same architect who designed it: Gaudí. He will be the one who guides you through this unique tour and will reveal to you the deeper aspects of his work.

Credits 
Image&nbsp;Sagrada Familia&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9SknLrX3Y_I?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditShareLink">Ana Frantz</a>

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Sagrada Familia with Gaudi

The Nativity façade&nbsp;was the first to be built and the only one in which I intervened directly. This part of the temple certainly does not go unnoticed due to its great ornamentation, as the subject to which it is dedicated demands: the coming of Jesus into the world. 
 
The structure of this façade is divided into three entrances into the temple which, as we have seen with the previous façades, are dedicated to faith, hope and charity, and four bell towers, dedicated to the Apostles Barnabas, St. Simon, St. Jude and St. Matthias, culminating in their respective pinnacles. The temple has a total of twelve towers, a group of four for each façade, and each is dedicated to one of the twelve apostles, although not necessarily the initial twelve. Barnabas, represented on this tower, is one of them, and his statue was the only one of the apostles that I was able to see completed. Likewise, the pinnacles of these towers are not without their symbolism, because although at the street level the visitor cannot see them very well, I wanted each pinnacle to include the Episcopal insignia, as a tribute to the bishops: the ring, the staff , myrrh and the cross.

If you look closely, you will also notice that the towers are open like stone blinds, an idea that I had to allow the sound of the tubular bells that I had planned to be diffused. Just below these stone blinds, on each of the towers, we read the inscription "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus"; and just below the pinnacles "Hosanna excelsis" and then "Sursum corda", or rather: "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Hosanna in the sky", "Lift up your hearts". All of this is in memory of the liturgy of the Eucharist.

Credits 
Image&nbsp;View of Sagrada Familia from Placa de Gaudi by&nbsp;<a href="http://https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62257455">C messier</a>

Nativity facade

Turning now to the bottom of the façade, the charity portico is the central access and in it we can see a great amount of decorative elements loaded with symbolism. The portico is divided into two doors down the palm-shaped spine of Jesus, which serves to support the Nativity sculpture. This column includes a ribbon on which the names of the paternal ancestors of Jesus are read according to the Gospel of Matthew, from Abraham to Jacob. Above, the representation of the Nativity shows the Virgin Mary presenting her son Jesus, Joseph, and on both sides the ox and the mule. Moving upward, we see a chorus of nine angels singing the gospel hymn, which can be seen carved in Latin on the façade: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will". Above, we now find the representation of The Annunciation where the Archangel Gabriel informs Mary that she will conceive the son of God. If you look carefully, you'll notice that the choir of angels and The Annunciation are confined by a huge rosary consisting of fifteen links, which correspond to the fifteen mysteries that made up the rosary at the time in which I lived.

The last sculpture above represents The Coronation of Mary as the queen of heaven. If we now look to the side of the façade, on the right side at the height of the door you will notice The Adoration of the Shepherds and to the left The Adoration of the Magi. Above this and at the edge of the start of the triangular shape of the portico, are the four angel trumpeters announcing the final judgment and the coming of the Messiah. Each of the trumpets points in a different direction corresponding to the scope (land, sea, sky and light) of the catastrophes announced. However, what will most attract your attention regarding this façade is His coronation by a cypress surrounded by white doves. The cypress symbolizes the eternal love of Christ, and the doves, the faithful who come to him.

At the foot of the cypress, we find a nest shaped like a crown and an egg bearing the monogram of Jesus, where a female pelican feeds her two chicks, a scene that evokes Christ's sacrifice, since according to the former legend, pelicans could feed their young with their own blood. At the top of the cypress, we observe a symbol of the Holy Trinity formed by a reddish tau cross embraced by another golden cross and a white dove above them.

Credits 
Image&nbsp;Temple of the Holy Family&nbsp;by <a href="http://By User:A,Ocram - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51344841">C</a><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Sagrada_Familia_(7852725592).jpg#/media/File:La_Sagrada_Familia_(7852725592).jpg">raig Sunter</a>

Portico of Charity

To the right of the portico of Charity, if we stand in front of the temple, we find the portico of Faith. Focusing our attention to the sides of the door, we can see several sculptural groups: on the right side appears a sculpture of Jesus the laborer, where he is working as a carpenter; on the left side, we see The Visitation where Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, barren and old, but who will be pregnant with John the Baptist; the central area shows Jesus found in the temple where a Jesus of only twelve years of age shows signs of his advanced knowledge of the Law. Above, as we move towards the steeple, we find three more sculptural groups: The presentation of the temple where Simeon holds the infant Jesus; The Immaculate Conception of Mary where the female figure appears with a foot crushing a coiled snake symbolizing that Evil is powerless against Mary; The Divine Providence (an eye on an open right hand surrounded by a halo), and finally we find a bundle of wheat crowning this portico, a symbol of the sacrament of the Eucharist. 
 
The last portico of the Nativity façade, located on the left side, corresponds to Hope. Following the same order as the previous portico, we will begin to discover the elements of this access looking at the height of the door. On the right, we see the representation of The Massacre of the Innocents, alluding to the law issued by Herod; to the left is The Flight into Egypt, where José, warned by an angel of the intentions of Herod for the Holy Family, flees from Israel to Egypt; and finally in the center is an image of Joseph and Jesus. Rising toward the bell we can see The Marriage of the Virgin, The Patron Saint of the Universal Church and the Carnall Bernat, the most famous monolith of Mount Montserrat whose virgin was declared patron of all the Catalan dioceses.

Credits 
Image Barcelona Fachada del Nacimiento&nbsp;by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WLM14ES_-_Barcelona_Fachada_del_Nacimiento_535_04_de_julio_de_2011_-_.jpg#/media/File:WLM14ES_-_Barcelona_Fachada_del_Nacimiento_535_04_de_julio_de_2011_-_.jpg">Turol Jones</a>

Porticos of Faith and Hope

The apse appears on the opposite end of the Glory façade, and if we walk around the temple, we'll find it between the front of the Passion and the Nativity façade, built in turn above the crypt. This façade was one of the first parts of the temple to be built and it therefore has a certain Gothic style. At this point, it is necessary to remind the visitor that I did not initiate the works of this temple, but the architect, Francisco de Paula del Villar, who was in charge of making the initial draft of the basilica, which he designed as a neo-Gothic construction. Shortly afterwards, I would take the reins of this wonderful piece of architecture, to which I devoted the last forty-three years of my life. In the beginning, I respected the design of the previous architect as much as possible with regard to the work already under way until I decided to propose a new project, more modern and much larger, which would commence with the lifting of the Nativity façade, which we will visit next. 
 
The apse of the temple is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, toward whom I feel a special predilection, and its façade is not quite finished. What stands out most about it are its windows, which correspond to the seven apsidal chapels in its interior, and the gargoyles that accentuate the Gothic style. These gargoyles take the form of animals that have traditionally been associated with evil, such as toads, snakes or lizards, and that is why they are placed on the outside of the temple which they are not allowed to enter, looking down in repulsion at the purity radiated by the symbols of Mary. These gargoyles turn into figures of turtles and tortoises, representing the land and sea, on the sides that coincide with the stairs inside to indicate that slowly and with patience one can rise and achieve one's goals. There are also plans to place several statues representing the founders of religious orders outside the apse. As we can see, this apse also culminates with its respective pinnacles where the anagrams of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and Christ are included, the latter accompanied by the letters alpha and omega, which as I mentioned earlier symbolize the beginning and the end. This apse will also have a dome dedicated to Mary and will be topped by a twelve-pointed star, symbolizing the morning star.

Photo&nbsp;Ábside de la Sagrada Familia by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52180047">Canaan</a>

Apse Façade

Walking now towards Calle Sardeña, and to the left of the Glory façade if we are facing it, we will find ourselves before the Passion façade. This is the second façade to be built according to my original project, in which I only gave instructions to my successors regarding the decorative elements, as I guessed, and I am glad that it was so, that the coming architects would incorporate their own aesthetic tastes into this façade. This is the case with the sculptural decoration of Josep Maria Subirachs and the stained glass windows of Joan Vila-Grau. 
 
For this occasion, the theme chosen for this façade is the Passion of Jesus, the sacrifice that the Son of God made for Mankind. Thus, this part of the temple is oriented toward the West, so that unlike the Glory façade, which splendidly receives sunlight for much of the day, the Passion façade only receives light at sunset. This idea reinforces the symbolism of darkness and gloom that I wanted to project onto it due to the pain it represents. 
 
As regards its external elements, the Passion façade has three entrances that are equally dedicated to the virtues of charity, hope and faith and culminates with four bell towers dedicated to the apostles St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Thomas and St. Philip with their respective statues, where we see a bridge linking the two pairs of towers on each side. The charity portico, located in the central area, has two bronze doors crafted by Subirachs and dedicated to the Gospel, with evangelical texts that narrate the events of the last days of Christ. At the top, we see a mullion which incorporates the Greek letters alpha and omega at its center, symbolizing the beginning and the end. Between these doors of the Gospel, the sculptor finally placed the column of the Flagellation, replacing the cross that I had planned in my designs, although I do see that Subirachs split the column into four parts representing the four parts of the cross. This column is also full of symbolism: the knot represents the suffering of torture; the cane given by the soldiers to Jesus, the derision to which they subjected him; and the three steps refer to his resurrection on the third day.

The portico of hope, located on the right, in turn, presents the door of Gethsemane, and the portico of faith, on the left, the door of the Crowning with Thorns. These three accesses are tucked behind a large porch of warped columns and a two-pronged entablature, with a gallery of small columns located at the top. This dismal portico, designed to be so, as I did not hold back on the use of chiaroscuro or protruding elements to show the greatest severity possible, includes the statues of the twelve stations of the Via Crucis, which we will describe next.

Credits 
Image&nbsp;The Passion Facade, La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona&nbsp;by <a href="https://flic.kr/p/2iSD53y">bvi4092</a>

Passion Facade

The sculptures, magnificently created by Subirachs, are endowed with great emotional intensity, and are placed along an S-shaped path from the lower left, representing the path that led Jesus to Calvary. At this point, the sculptor, still following my original idea, adapted the project to new concepts of modernity, as the placement that I had arranged was more horizontal. With this, following the S line, we find the following sculptural ensembles along the Via Crucis: The Last Supper where Jesus foretells his death and resurrection giving the sacrament of his body and blood; Pedro and the soldiers; The Kiss of Judas; Peter's denial where three women symbolize the three times Peter denied knowing Jesus, who appears covered by a sheet as a metaphor for the denial; Ecce Homo where Jesus is scourged and presented to the people wearing a crown of thorns; The trial of Jesus where Pilate washes his hands to avoid deciding the fate of Jesus; The three Marys and Simon where Jesus carrying the cross falls and Simon helps him up again; Veronica and the Evangelist where the sculptor honors me by representing me as the evangelist who will chronicle the death of Jesus; The soldiers play dice for Jesus' clothing, Crucifixion and death of Jesus, The faith of the centurion and concluding with Jesus being taken down from the cross. 
 
As you may have realized, this façade does not have any decorative ornaments that give liveliness and joy to this part of the temple. On the contrary, we see very simple shapes that further highlight the sculptures of the Via Crucis, with the intention of emphasizing the sense of loss and the idea of sacrifice. The artists have also incorporated materials and designs that reinforce this idea, which gives me great satisfaction. Several examples are found in the Crucifixion of Jesus where the sculptor ingeniously placed a black iron cross that starkly contrasts with the stone body of Jesus, in addition to nailing it horizontally instead of vertically, to emphasize the idea that Jesus was hung on the cross; and in The Kiss of Judas, where in turn, a cube appears with different numbers represented that always add up to thirty-three, the age of Christ when he died.

Credits 
Image Passion Facade&nbsp;by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25978042">Mstyslav Chernov</a>

Stations of the Cross

After more than a century, I see before me the main façade, located on Calle Mallorca, providing access to the interior of this majestic temple, which has been named the Glory Façade. This is what I wanted to call it because Glory refers to the place that humans occupy within the general order of creation. With the symbolism of the elements of this façade, my intention was to revive the eternal dilemma between sin and hell, virtue and heaven, so this façade shall display, in ascending order, hell, death, virtue and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, until the Trinidad Augusta is reached, located at the top. 
As it faces south towards the sea, the sun shines on it for most of the day, thus emphasizing its meaning, just as I said one day: "Glory is light, light gives joy and joy is the happiness of the spirit". 
 
It makes me proud to see how future architects have understood the meaning of the project and have managed to interpret my notes about the distribution of the volumes and images to be included on this façade. For technical reasons, this part of the temple was the last of the façades to be constructed; in fact, its construction has only recently begun. 
 
As regards the elements that make up the Glory façade, there are plans to incorporate three entrances or porticos, one for the main nave and two side entrances, dedicated to the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. According to my model, these accesses are covered by a porch with seven columns that symbolize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

At the base will be representations of Purgatory, and as we move upwards there will be other images of men and their trades, to encompass the idea that virtue can be obtained through work. Higher up, the Holy Trinity will appear with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove with outstretched wings, where one can see the Latin inscription "Spiritum Sanctum", with the Son and the Father above with the inscriptions "Credo" and "Deum" which will remain lit so that they can be read both during the day and at night. This entire structure rising towards the bell towers will be enveloped in a series of stone clouds that will include texts about the Creation of the world according to Genesis. This façade will be topped by four bell towers grouped in pairs, and as was my wish, dedicated to St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. Paul and St. James. Each tower will therefore include a statue with its corresponding saint. In all, the desired message to be projected onto this façade can be summarized as: reaching glory with the practice of virtue, and through the redemption and constant help of grace given by the Holy Spirit. 
 
However, we will still have to wait a few years until you can see this main façade completed.

Credits 
Image &nbsp;Maqueta de Sagrada Familia&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70109764">Gerardo nuñez</a>

Glory Facade

The Sagrada Familia is undoubtedly the most famous piece of Gaudi architecture, although paradoxically he was not the one who initiated the work and much less the one to complete it.

As you will see throughout this visit, the temple is full of symbolism, both inside and out. The basilica, dedicated to the "Sagrada Familia" or Holy Family, tells the biblical tales of its respective members: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in each of the parts into which it is divided, in addition to being able to observe the multiple ecclesiastical references of various kinds, which enhance the religious significance of this architectural work. With all this, you are about to discover an unparalleled construction guided by the same architect who designed it: Gaudí. He will be the one who guides you through this unique tour and will reveal to you the deeper aspects of his work.

Credits 
Audio tour&nbsp;developed by „Sagrada Familia with Gaudi“ and powered by IZI.Travel 
Image Sagrada Familia&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9SknLrX3Y_I?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditShareLink">Ana Frantz</a>

Barcelona

Sagrada Familia with Gaudi

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