The story of Anoni Gaudi and Sagrada Familia is fascinating. An architect was hired to plan a church on this site, but resigned after just a few years. In 1883 Gaudi was hired and was able to infuse enough donations to redesign the building to his liking.
Gaudi poured his life into this project and he definitely gained his inspiration from nature. A deeply religious man, he made plans and plaster models (which he then photographed) of every aspect of the building. Wherever you look throughout the building there is evidence of nature – the columns representing trees, the light filtering through from above, the honeycomb shapes, and designs from geodes, leaves, flowers and any other natural thing. He knew, from conception, that he would not live to see the completion, and his life was cut short in an accident at the age of 74 in 1926. Therefore, the completion date of 2026 is to commemorate the centenary of his death.
It remains, to this day, a controversial edifice but architects and sculptors continue to put their stamp on this amazing design.
This is how it looked when I was last here in 1973:
