Architectural description
Basílica de la S. Familia
Fachada del Nacimiento
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: 1882-ongoing
STYLE: Neogothic and modernism
FUNCTION: Religious
CATALOGATION: UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 1882 the construction of the neo-Gothic temple began according to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano. In 1883 Antoni Gaudí was commissioned to continue the work for which he planned a grandiose temple. He directly supervised the construction of the façade of the Nativity, the only one he saw finished since he died in 1926.
The facade is oriented towards the east. Composed by a worked ornament with numerous references to the plant and animal world; and an important sculptural ensemble that narrates the childhood of Jesus Christ. The facade is flanked by four bell towers of polygonal plan at its base, cylindrical with ovoid arches as it surpasses the first quarter of height that culminates with a parabolic profile finished in a ceramic coronation.