The temple was begun in 1882 by public subscription. Gaudi, aged 31, took over the next year and the plans grew and became more revolutionary. It is (and will be) large, a whole city block of 4,500 m2 with 18 tall towers and a wrap around cloister. Gaudi devoted 43 years of his life to this project and was living there when he suddenly died in 1926. As usual he used catenary arches, huge leaning and branching columns in different coloured stone and hyperbolic arches. These support the loads thereby making the inside of the church more open and light. When he died, only 4 of the towers, the Nativity facade, crypt, apse and cloister were completed and the rest has been slowly added since. His plans were destroyed during the Civil war but his ideas are able to be continued from old photos of his plaster models. The church was finally roofed and dedicated in 2010 by Pope Benedict, but there is still much to do. The largest 2 towers including the Jesus tower at 172m and Mary's tower at 130m, 4 more bell towers and another 4 evangelist towers. And then there is only finishing two other facades and the encircling cloisters and . . . well now we know why the old Cathedrals took centuries.
Contrast the "older" style of the Nativity with that of the Passion facade.
NAVITIY FACADE
Contrast the "older" style of the Nativity with that of the Passion facade.
NAVITIY FACADE
PASSION
NAVE
Detail on towers - recall nature
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