Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia gets it’s building permit – 137 years late.

This week the Sagrada Familia Basilica has finally been issued a building permit, 137 years after construction began.

It is unclear as to why it has taken this long for a permit to be issued for Antoni Gaudi’s most famous piece of architecture and it has been described at the ‘ultimate tale of sluggish bureaucracy. However Barcelona official Janet Sanz said the agreement between the city and the foundation had put an end to “a historical anomaly in our city”.

The Sagrada Familia Foundation said that the licence would allow it to “continue to build Antoni Gaudí’s project”, expected to be completed in 2026, coinciding with the centenary of the death of its main designer. They have agreed to pay 4.6 million euros (about £4.1m) in fees to the city for the permit. The permit is valid for just 7 years to cover to the expected completion date.

The church is an amazing piece of architecture that attracts more than 4.5 million visitors inside it each year and an estimated 20 million people who view it from outside. Guadi envisaged 12 towers, 1 for each of the disciples but currently not all will be built. One of the central towers that is expected to be completed while the building permit is valid will make La Sagrada Familía the tallest religious structure in Europe at 172.5 metres (566ft) tall, according to the builders.

I was lucky enough to tour the Sagrada Familiar a couple of years ago and it is a spectacular building. The workman-ship is so intricate and deatiled. The exterior is still covered in scaffolding and cranes as you can see in the photo but this just adds to the sense of history being created. I am excited to have seen this church being created and hope to go back after 2026 to see the finished product.

 

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