Spain’s Sagrada Familia Basilica invites visitors to see ‘Bible in stone’

Visitors to the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, don’t even have to go inside the basilica to be inspired. The exterior of the basilica itself is a “Bible in stone in the facades,” according to Mauricio Cortés Sierra, the lead architect for the basilica’s Tower of Christ that was completed earlier this year.

Construction on the basilica, named for the Holy Family, began in 1882. Architect Antoni Gaudi took over the project in 1883, and proposed a bigger plan for the structure, one that he knew would take several generations to complete.

“He and the board agreed that it was not a bad thing. Being the work of a multi-generational project will encourage and create more sense of belonging to the community and the city,” Cortéz Sierra said in an interview for Catholic Review Radio. “He was perfectly aware that each generation will build a small or big part of the temple.”

That plan is reflected in the exterior of the basilica, with the east-facing façade depicting the Nativity, completed by Gaudi. The next generation built the west façade, depicting the Passion, with scenes of the Via Crucis, the Passion of Christ, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Gaudi’s interest in presenting Scripture in stone and glass did not come from his own mind. “He was an admirer of Gothic architecture. Back in the day, the Gothic builders used the facades to explain the Bible, like in Chartres Cathedral (in France), for example. So definitely, there’s an inspiration. But he wanted each architectural element in the basilica to have hierarchy and a symbology that people could read it,” Cortéz Sierra said.

His own work on the project began about 20 years ago, when as a doctoral student he met two of the key architects working on the basilica. He has been the lead architect on the Tower of Christ, which was capped off in February, bringing the basilica to its tallest height, at 172.5 meters (565 feet). It is one of 18 towers on the basilica. The height is significant because Montjuic, a nearby mountain, stands at 177.7 meters (583 feet). “Gaudi said we cannot surpass the work of God, which is creation,” Cortéz Sierra said. “So, we need to stay a little bit lower.”

Pope Leo XIV will inaugurate the Tower of Christ June 10 during his pastoral visit to Spain. The date marks the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. 

“It’s thrilling that the pope has accepted the invitation to preside the first solemn Mass that commemorates the 100 years of Gaudí’s passing, and then with the celebration of the benediction of the Tower of Jesus itself. It’s a big celebration, a historic moment for us,” Cortéz Sierra said.

As someone who spends each day at the basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the architect said he likes to arrive in the early morning hours, when the basilica is quiet. The interior features “a forest of columns. Gaudí designed a very innovative structure in inclined columns that split into branches and reach the ceiling vaults with a lot of light coming from above,” he said.

One other notable feature of the interior is the scarcity of images of saints. Since Sagrada Familia is dedicated to the Holy Family, the only figures inside are the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph; St. George, a patron saint of Barcelona; and the crucified Christ.

Gaudi worked 40 years on Sagrada Familia, and in addition to his detailed drawings for his vision for the basilica, he also made large plaster models to assist in continuing his work. Cortéz Sierra’s just-topped-off project, the Tower of Christ, benefitted from such guidance.

“I think the project of the cross and the tower is based on little models that Gaudí left and also written descriptions of what it was, the symbology, what it wanted to include and what it wanted to represent,” he said. A multidisciplinary team of engineers in the façades, glassmakers, ceramists and more pushed the project “toward the goal of achieving Gaudí’s vision and what he wanted to communicate.”

He added, “It is also no coincidence that each one of the Nativity and Passion facades is divided in three portals, devoted to the three virtues – faith, charity and hope. And I think the whole temple communicates that faith, charity and hope.”

The full Catholic Review Radio interview with Cortéz Sierra will be broadcast April 19 on WMET, 1160 AM and 103.1 FM, in the Washington, D.C., area; and on WSJF, 92.7 FM, in the Sykesville area. It will be posted on most podcast platforms April 20.

Email Gunty at editor@catholicreview.org. 

Readers of the Catholic Review will have a chance to see the basilica in all its splendor during a pilgrimage to Portugal, France and Spain Oct. 25-Nov. 4, 2026. The trip includes visits to Fatima and Lourdes, sites of Marian apparitions; Burgos, Spain; the cathedral and basilica in Barcelona; and other locations. Discounted pricing, including airfare from Dulles Airport, is available until April 19, with prices increasing after that.

Click play below to listen to an interview on Catholic Review Radio with Cortéz Sierra.

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