These will be the great milestones of the Sagrada Familia until 2035

BarcelonaAt the Sagrada Família, the centenary anniversary of Antoni Gaudí's death will be remembered by the inauguration and blessing of the Jesus tower by Pope Leo XIV. As soon as the technicians removed the scaffolding, the four-armed cross that crowns it, at 172.5 meters high, became a world icon. Currently, the construction of the temple complex is 80% complete, and these will be the next architectural milestones. The forecast is that the works will be finished around the year 2035.

The facade of Glory

The main entrance area is where most of the pending work remains. One of the most characteristic features of the Glory is that the upper part of the porch will be covered by sixteen large hyperboloid-shaped lanterns, which will be crowned with cones, reaching a height of approximately 80 meters. Above these lanterns, as well as at the lower part of the towers, Gaudí planned to place clouds on which the Creed will be inscribed. The lanterns will be arranged in two planes: seven lanterns at the front and nine at the rear. The arrangement will be ascending towards the center of the facade. The lanterns on the first level, closest to the street, correspond to the seven days of Creation, and the others, to the nine choirs or angelic groups that praise the glories of God. Like the Nativity and Passion facades, the Glory facade will have a large portico and four bell towers, in this case dedicated to the apostles Andrew, Peter, Paul, and James the Greater. However, unlike the other bell towers, the first 30 meters of the part facing the street will be cut, and instead of a wall, they will be supported by eight columns dedicated to the eight beatitudes enunciated by Jesus. Currently, the executive project for the apostles' towers, which are similar to the existing ones, is being drafted. Furthermore, the architects are drafting the project for the portico, and they plan to complete the executive project in a couple of years, in two or three years.

The sculptures in the atrium of the Glory facade

The sculptures in the atrium of the Glory facade

Like the entire basilica, the Glory facade will be full of symbolic elements, among which the sculptural ornamentation of the narthex, or atrium, of the facade stands out. At the end of last year, artists Miquel Barceló, Cristina Iglesias, and Javier Marín presented their proposals, and throughout June the board will deliberate. But they have not set a deadline for announcing their decision. It could be that they choose only one or two of these artists, all three, or none of them. As it is planned that there will be more than a hundred sculptures on the entire facade, the delegate president of the Sagrada Família Construction Board, Esteve Camps, has stated on several occasions that three artists will work on the facade, who would be responsible, respectively, for the part of glory, purgatory, and hell.

On the other hand, it has not yet been decided who will make the sculpture of Jesus Christ surrounded by angels planned for the interior of the central lantern.

The chapels of Penance and the Sacrament and the baptistery

At each end of the facade of Glory there will be a chapel: to the east, that of Penance and the Sacrament, and to the west, the baptistery. Both will be similar to the chapel of the Assumption, but larger in size. And they will have a distinctive element: Gaudí placed a censer or thurible, symbol of purifying fire, in front of the chapel of Penance, and a fountain, evocative of the four arms of the river of paradise, in front of the baptistery.

The chapel of the Assumption

The chapel of l’Assumpta, which will be another of the icons of the Sagrada Família, is under construction. It is located in the middle of the cloister parallel to Carrer Provença. It is a chapel with a square floor plan that will gain prominence with a roof featuring a blue dome 30 meters high, representing the mantle of the Virgin Mary, raised by four angels. As Gaudí himself told the then secretary of the Construction Board, the reference is the litter of the Virgin Mary that the sculptor Lluís Bonifaç made for the Girona Cathedral. In parallel to the construction of the chapel, sculptors Mercè Riba, Béatrice Bizot, and Teresa Riba are working on different sculptural elements dedicated to the earthly life of the Virgin Mary (inside the chapel) and to Our Lady of Mercy, patron saint of Reus, Gaudí's hometown (outside).The inauguration is planned for mid-2027, probably coinciding with the feast of the Assumption of Mary, which is celebrated on August 15. On the other hand, the Fundació Gresol de Reus has promoted the construction of a replica of this in Reus so that there is a work by Gaudí in his hometown, and a few days ago the Reus City Council announced that the place where it will be located will be Gandhi Park.

The north sacristy

Antoni Gaudí broke with conventions regarding the placement of the cloister. Instead of placing it on one side, the cloister of the Sagrada Família surrounds the entire temple, protecting it from the noise of the street. Also on Provença street, the north sacristy remains to be built, next to the Nativity facade. It will follow the model of the one built next to the Passion facade.

The roofs of the naves

The roofs that Gaudí proposed are high stone coverings on top of the vaults. In each section of the roofs of the side naves there will be a pyramidal lantern with windows, and the sections of the roof of the central nave will be crowned with a pinnacle.

The recovery of Gaudí's workshop

Gaudí lived the last months of his life in his workshop at the Sagrada Família. In parallel to the works on the basilica, this year the works have begun to restore it and recreate the atmosphere of when the architect lived there.