Sagrada Familia Gets Final Completion Date - 2026 or 2028
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk
#sagradafamilia #unesco #spain #barcelona #construction #religion #culture
Barcelona's emblematic "Sagrada Familia" church finally has a completion date - 2026 or 2028, more than 140 years after it was started, reported The Guardian.
Joan Rigol, president of the committee charged with finishing the building by Antoni Gaudi, said it should be finished in time for the centenary for the architect's death - or, if not, two years later.
Five huge towers are being added to the eccentric building, which is among Spain's most-visited tourist attractions.
Originally paid for by subscription, the church was always set to take a long time to build. "My client is in no hurry," Gaudi once said, referring to God. The building was at one stage popularly known as "the cathedral of the poor" and Gaudi himself was known to go begging for contributions - which currently amount to around 500 thousand euro a year.
With a roof finally in place, Pope Benedict was able to consecrate it as a basilica last year. But a setback came when a man set fire to the basilica's sacristy in April, with repair work still under way. "The damage is worse than we had thought," said the building's chief architect, Jordi Bonet. Authorities are now considering installing metal detectors at the entrance.
"Our new objective is to complete the six central towers, of which five have already been started," said Rigol. The sixth tower will measure 170 meters and contain a lift to carry tourists to the top.
"Sagrada Familia", is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.
The construction of "Sagrada Familia" had already commenced in 1882, when Gaudi subsequently took over the project in 1883 he transformed it with his architectural and engineering style-combining Gothic and curvilinear, modernism forms with ambitious structural columns and arches, and including a rich variety of Christian symbols in the design. Gaudi devoted his last years to the project and at the time of his death, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Gaudi died in 1926 after being run over by the city's No 30 tram. He had been living on the "Sagrada Familia" building site and looked so impoverished that it took several hours for doctors to realize who he was. The tram driver thought he had hit a drunken tramp.
Joan Rigol, president of the committee charged with finishing the building by Antoni Gaudi, said it should be finished in time for the centenary for the architect's death - or, if not, two years later.
Five huge towers are being added to the eccentric building, which is among Spain's most-visited tourist attractions.
Originally paid for by subscription, the church was always set to take a long time to build. "My client is in no hurry," Gaudi once said, referring to God. The building was at one stage popularly known as "the cathedral of the poor" and Gaudi himself was known to go begging for contributions - which currently amount to around 500 thousand euro a year.
With a roof finally in place, Pope Benedict was able to consecrate it as a basilica last year. But a setback came when a man set fire to the basilica's sacristy in April, with repair work still under way. "The damage is worse than we had thought," said the building's chief architect, Jordi Bonet. Authorities are now considering installing metal detectors at the entrance.
"Our new objective is to complete the six central towers, of which five have already been started," said Rigol. The sixth tower will measure 170 meters and contain a lift to carry tourists to the top.
"Sagrada Familia", is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.
The construction of "Sagrada Familia" had already commenced in 1882, when Gaudi subsequently took over the project in 1883 he transformed it with his architectural and engineering style-combining Gothic and curvilinear, modernism forms with ambitious structural columns and arches, and including a rich variety of Christian symbols in the design. Gaudi devoted his last years to the project and at the time of his death, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Gaudi died in 1926 after being run over by the city's No 30 tram. He had been living on the "Sagrada Familia" building site and looked so impoverished that it took several hours for doctors to realize who he was. The tram driver thought he had hit a drunken tramp.
