The Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
If we were to analyse the ecclesiastical heritage of Barcelona, we would not add the church of Tibidabo to the list of the prettiest churches in the city. And that would not surprise anyone, given that the city boasts constructions as spectacular as the Sagrada Família or Santa Maria del Mar, and charming little churches, such as Església de Sant Felip Neri, located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, whose façade still shows damage caused by shrapnel during the Spanish Civil War.
However, the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor de Jesús [Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus] owes much of its attraction to its privileged location, since it is situated on the summit of Tibidabo, the highest mountain in the Collserola mountain range. Which means its silhouette is clearly recognisable from many of the city streets that have a view of the mountain, while from the temple one can enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the Catalan capital.
The project to build a church in Tibidabo
The idea to erect a Catholic church on the peak of Tibidabo emerged during the end of the nineteenth century, just when construction for the residential urbanisation in this upper area of the city began, following a proposal by the Catalan entrepreneur Salvador Andreu. A few years later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Avinguda del Tibidabo avenue was opened, and members of Barcelona’s upper class established their elegant residences there; others, however, preferred to settle in the also splendid Passeig de Gràcia.
Free cancellation
Plans to construct a Protestant church or a hotel with a casino on the Tibidabo peak encouraged a ‘Board of Catholic Knights’ to buy the land and cede it to the Italian priest John Bosco. At that moment the priest was visiting Barcelona with Dorotea de Chopitea, who would later become a patroness of the temple.
The decision to name the temple Sacred Heart was influenced by the fact that consecration was fashionable at that time, Pope Leo XIII had contributed significantly to its dissemination. This can also be seen in the naming of the Sacro Cuore di Gesù church in Rome, promoted by Bosco himself, and the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, during that same period. In this sense, the connections between the Barcelona temple and the famous Parisian church are not limited exclusively to its name and its elevated position over the city: in 1902, in his speech after the laying of the first stone, Bishop Salvador Casañas i Pagés urged the faithful to contribute by giving alms to the construction of the ‘new Barcelona Montmartre’.
The construction of the crypt and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart
As explained, the erection of the Tibidabo temple (or Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) began in 1902, and the project was assigned to the productive Barcelona architect Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia, who had already authored approximately 300 projects in the Catalan capital, including the Seu de la Caixa de Pensions building on Via Laietana, whose crowning revokes the stylistic language used in the Tibidabo basilica.
However, the relay at the front of the building was designed by his son, Josep Maria Sagnier i Vidal, who completed the project in 1961.
It is an atypical edifice because of its surprising mix of styles. In fact, its crypt (which is the first thing that the visitor finds) has Romanesque and Gothic decorative elements, but it is the Neo-Byzantine language that stands out from the rest. The patron saints of Spain, Catalonia and Barcelona—Santiago [Saint James], Sant Jordi [Saint George] and Mare de Déu de la Mercè [The Virgin of Mercy]—are represented in its stone façade. These sculptures are framed by a mosaic made in the Talleres Bru de Barcelona [Barcelona Bru Workshops] in 1955 to replace the original by Daniel Zuloaga, which was destroyed in 1936.
The interior of the crypt also displays a Neo-Byzantine aesthetic, presenting a plant of five naves finished in a semicircular apse, which are demarcated by thick columns and covered with low vaults.
Two staircases surround the crypt which allow us to reach the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. While horizontal lines dominate in the first construction, here the opposite happens: the temple has a square-shaped floor plan and assumes the fundamental precepts of Gothic (Neo-Gothic, in this case), where its verticality is enhanced. This is reinforced by the four towers located in the corners, flanked by the sculptures of the twelve apostles, while above them stands a central tower presided over by the bronze figure of the Sacred Heart, an image that revokes (except in terms of dimensions) the monumental statue of Cristo Redentor (or Christ the Redeemer) in Rio de Janeiro.
The Tibidabo temple interior is rather austere compared to the ornamental profusion of the crypt. However, the show continues on its terraces, since from there the visitor can admire the capital of Catalonia as if it were a painted picture. Instagrammers will have a ball with views of the legendary Tibidabo Amusement Park Ferris wheel, the silhouette of the Sagrada Família and the Torre Agbar tower.
And if the weather is behaving, it is worth leaving the cameras aside for a moment to take in the urban layout of the city. The aeroplanes that continually cross the sky of the Catalan capital and the boats that sail the waters of the Mediterranean Sea add beauty to the views. If there is one place to fall in love with Barcelona, it is undoubtedly here.
Free cancellation
Where will the Barcelona Spain Temple be built?
Temples
Announced by President Nelson at April 2022 general conference, the Barcelona temple will be Spain’s second
By
Scott Taylor
Site location for the Barcelona Spain Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Temples
Announced by President Nelson at April 2022 general conference, the Barcelona temple will be Spain’s second
By
Scott Taylor
148Z”>Jan 9, 2023 4:05 p.m. EST
Site location for the Barcelona Spain Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the site location for the Barcelona Spain Temple.
President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Barcelona during the closing session of the April 2022 general conference, one of 17 new temples identified that day.
The Barcelona site was released Monday, Jan. 9, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Detailed design plans for the temple are still being developed. Further information — including exterior rendering and groundbreaking date — will be announced later.
The 5.4-acre site is located northeast of the intersection of Avinguda de la Vía Augusta and Avinguda de la Clota in Sant Cugat de Vallès, a municipality north of Barcelona, Spain. Also planned for the site is patron housing, an arrival center and a distribution center.
The temple will be a single-story building of approximately 27,500 square feet, or about the size of the San Salvador El Salvador, Curitiba Brazil and Arequipa Peru temples.
The temple will be the second in Spain — the country’s first in nearly a quarter-century. The Madrid Spain Temple was dedicated in 1999.
The Church has four stakes and one district along Spain’s east and northeastern coast, from Valencia to Barcelona and including the Balearic Islands. The area is currently in the Madrid Spain Temple district; that temple is 613 kilometers (380 miles) southwest of Barcelona.
Spain is home to more than 61,000 Church members in more than 130 congregations. The first Latter-day Saint converts in Spain were baptized during the 1950s and 1960s. Melitón González Trejo, an officer in the Spanish army who visited Utah in 1874 and joined the Church, was instrumental in the translation of the Book of Mormon into Spanish.
Newsletters
Subscribe for free and get daily or weekly updates straight to your inbox
Church News Today
The three things you need to know everyday
This Week in Church News
Highlights from the last week to keep you informed
Email address
Sagrada Familia: description + information (2019)
The Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia or Sagrada Familia is the most grandiose project of Antonio Gaudi, because due to the complexity of the construction and the abundance of artistic elements, the construction has not been completed to this day.
The majestic building is one of the most popular attractions in Barcelona, although it remains a construction site and surrounded by forests.
Sagrada Familia is located in the fashionable district of Eixample. The gigantic structure with pointed towers looking up to the sky seems light and airy, as if sculpted from weightless sand, which, flowing down in graceful streams, forms the figures of Christian apostles and saints. This effect was conceived by the architect from the very beginning. Gaudí strove all his life for natural forms and especially succeeded in creating his latest masterpiece.
TOP 40 ATTRACTIONS OF BARCELONA
History of the Sagrada Familia
The construction of the temple began in 1882, when a rather large amount of donations had accumulated. The first project was developed by the famous Barcelona architect Francisco del Villar, who decided to create a basilica with three naves in neo-Gothic style. Soon after the start of construction, a serious conflict occurred between the eminent architect and the customers, as a result of which Villar left the project, and further work on the temple was entrusted to the young promising architect Gaudi.
The new architect made extensive changes to the project, retaining the original layout of the structure in the form of a Latin cross. According to Gaudi’s plans, the temple was supposed to become a stone embodiment of the New Testament and organically merge into the surrounding landscape. The architectural complex with three facades – Christmas, Passion and Glory, was supplemented with many decorative elements, including towers, sculptural groups, stained-glass windows, which gave the building an unusual lightness and airiness.
Sagrada Familia in 1905.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia
Construction of the structure was not quick. When money ran out, the chief architect was looking for sources of funding, while investing in the temple a significant part of his own funds received from other projects. Gaudí was aware from the very beginning that the Sagrada Familia would become the work of his whole life, but he would not have time to see the results of his labors.
During the construction process, the architect constantly came up with new ideas, the implementation of which significantly slowed down the pace of work. Gaudi repeatedly reworked the completed fragments of the structure and individual elements if he found flaws in them. At the request of the chief architect, the statues of biblical characters were created from nature, for which Gaudi himself found people with a suitable appearance.
At the end of his life, Gaudí settled in a modest house next to the construction site, so as not to waste a single second on unnecessary things. The main part of the church with three portals, a crypt, an apse, a chapel, four bell towers and a Nativity façade was completed, and work began on the façade of the Passion of Christ. The old lonely architect was no longer engaged in projects of secular buildings that could bring him a fantastic income. He devoted himself completely to the temple, but did not have time. June 1926, Gaudi was hit by a tram and was taken unconscious to a hospital for the poor, where he died.
In the future, work on the temple continued under the guidance of a friend and student of Gaudi, Domenech Sugranes, who devoted many years to bringing the projects of the brilliant master to life. Until his death in 1938, Sugranes worked on the Passion façade and completed the three towers of the Nativity façade.
With the beginning of the civil war in Spain, the construction of the temple was interrupted, resumed only in the 50s and continues today. The architectural masterpiece of Gaudi barely survived the war years, priceless drawings of the architect perished in fires. The Barcelona government plans to complete the work by 2026, the centenary of the architect’s death, but there is a belief among the townspeople that the end of construction will be the beginning of the end of the world.
Sagrada Familia: what to see
Sagrada Familia is a giant building with openwork facades, soaring towers, a huge number of external and internal columns that serve as a support for the entire structure and individual elements.
As in other projects, Gaudí remained true to himself and abandoned the construction of load-bearing walls.
Facade of the Nativity
Facade of the Nativity with three porticos, where the main entrance to the temple is located, is decorated with stone lace bas-reliefs, in which the figures of the apostles and saints are visible, crowned with four pointed towers dedicated to the apostles Simon, Matthew, Barnabas and Judas.
- In the central part of the façade there is a portico of Mercy with a Nativity scene represented by a sculptural group depicting the Virgin Mary with the baby, Joseph the Betrothed and nursery animals.
- To the right of the portico of Mercy is the portico of Faith with bas-reliefs depicting biblical scenes. On the left is the portico of Hope with images of the flight of Joseph and the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus from Herod to Egypt, the betrothal of Mary to Joseph and the scene of the Massacre of the Infants, in which Gaudí used the bodies of stillborn children.
Facade of the Passion of Christ
Facade of the Passion of Christ, unlike the facade of the Nativity, is devoid of decorative elements. Stone bas-reliefs reflect the most tragic episodes in the life of the Savior – the Last Supper, the arrest of Christ, the kiss of Judas, at whose feet the Serpent-Tempter wriggles.
- The scenes of the scourging of Christ, the ascent of Christ with a cross to Golgotha, the fall of Jesus under the weight of his burden, the rider Longinus piercing the crucified Christ with a spear are filled with sorrow and tragedy.
- Particularly noteworthy are the figures of three Marys – the Blessed Virgin, Mary Cleopova and Mary Magdalene, Pontius Pilate, reproachfully looking at the crowd, Veronica with a board on which the face of Christ was imprinted.
- At the entrance stands a five-meter sculptural image of Christ under the whip of a guard, above the gate there are metal plates in the form of scrolls with texts from the Gospel.
- In the upper part of the facade of the Passion is the crucifixion of Christ, as if growing out of the rock. Above it is a symbol of the night, the moon, at the feet is a symbol of death, a skull.
Facade of Glory
Construction of the Facade of Glory began in 2002 and has not been completed yet. The work is carried out according to the restored drawings and sketches of the architect. As conceived by Gaudi, in the upper part of the facade there will be a sculptural group of the Holy Trinity, above which clouds with Old Testament texts about the Creation of the world hover. Bell towers will rise above the facade.
The height of the main tower of Christ will be 172.5 m. The tower of the Virgin Mary is planned to be less high. Four lower towers will be dedicated to the evangelists, 12 to the apostles. All structures are tubular in shape with numerous holes so that air circulates inside, like in a giant organ, together with the bell ringing creating amazing music of the spheres.
The bell towers should not have needed bell ringers, since Gaudí believed that the bells of such tall structures should be swayed by the winds.
Interiors
The interiors of the Sagrada Familia amaze with the unusual shape of the vault supported by columns, the impeccable beauty of the stained-glass windows, and the originality of decorative elements inherent only to Gaudí. A brilliant artist, scientist and engineer can be traced in every detail. The optical illusion of expanded space, which is created when approaching certain objects, the light penetrating through numerous windows, immerses you in an atmosphere of reverence, peace and tranquility.
As in most masterpieces of the Catalan master, there are no sharp corners or straight lines inside the building. Everything is subject to waves, curves, smooth lines. The walls are decorated with stucco, paintings, mosaic panels, frescoes with biblical scenes. The load-bearing columns rise up in a spiral and branch out at the vault like trees.
In the central part there is an altar with the image of Christ, on both sides of it stairs go up, symbolizing the ascension from earth to heaven. All around are long and thick columns of red porphyry. The rest are made of basalt. The visitor has the feeling that he enters the sacred dense forest, where you can find salvation and consolation.
Interesting features of the Sagrada Familia
- The temple does not have a single stylistic concept. It clearly shows eclecticism characteristic of Gaudí, a combination of different architectural styles and trends, including Art Nouveau, Baroque, Neo-Gothic.
- The temple was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2010. Divine services and masses can be held in it.
- The ashes of Antonio Gaudí rest in the crypt of the temple. There are rumors among the builders that the late architect continues to supervise the work on his project.
- Since 1961, a museum has been operating in the temple, where objects, tools, materials, models are presented, which can be used to trace the stages of design and construction of a masterpiece.
- In one of the towers there is an observation deck, to which part of the way is overcome by an elevator, and the rest of the 400-odd steps are on foot along a spiral staircase. People with cardiovascular diseases should abandon the route. The rest have the opportunity to see Barcelona from a bird’s eye view.
- During the tourist season, tickets for visiting the Sagrada Familia must be purchased in advance, a few days before the planned visit to the temple.
INFORMATION
How to get to the Sagrada Familia:
- Metro: Sagrada Familia (Lines L2 and L5)
- Buses: 19, 33, 34, 43, 44, 50, 51, B20 and B24
Opening hours of the Sagrada Familia:
- From April to September: from 9.00 to 20.00
- March and October: from 9.00 to 19.00
- From November to February: from 9.00 to 18.00
- January 1 and 6, December 25 and 26: from 9.00 to 14. 00
00 Cost of visiting the Sagrada Familia:
- Visiting the temple: 17 euros
- Temple visit + audio guide (available in Russian!): 25 euros
- Visit to the Temple + Gaudí Museum in Parc Güell: 27 euros
- Temple visit + tower climb: 32 euros
- Free entry for children under 11
- Buying tickets: https://sagradafamilia.org/tickets-individuals
- Money for tickets goes to the fund for the construction of the temple
- It is better to buy a ticket in advance, especially during the tourist season!
Where to eat in Barcelona:
- Top 20 best restaurants in Barcelona: overview of
- Top 20 cheap cafes and topas bars in Barcelona
places
What else to see in Barcelona:
- Casa Batlló
- House Mila
- The Rambla
- Park Güell
TOP 30 places to visit from Barcelona
Sagrada Família (Temple of the Sagrada Familia) by Gaudí, Barcelona, photo gallery
At the end of this article you will find a complete photo guide of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família.
The photographs of the Sagrada Família were taken in a clockwise circular sequence and cover a 360 degree view.
| Sagrada Família by Gaudí |
The Sagrada Família is Barcelona’s most visited tourist attraction. More than 3,000,000 people visit it every year. This is a building of enormous proportions, which World of Architecture considers one of the most original and ambitious buildings of our time.
Skip-the-line tickets for the Sagrada Família included FREE with the Barcelona City Pass. Click here to find out more.
Map showing the location of the Sagrada Familia
Tetuan Metro Station
This map is copyrighted and protected, copying is prohibited.
Metro Station Hospital de Sant Pau
Hotel Sagrada Familia
Hotel Abalon
Medicis Hotel
Hotel Acta Antibes Barcelona
Aranea Hotel Barcelona
Carlit Hesperia Hotel
Hotel Eurostars Cristal Palace
Sagrada Família
Carrer de Mallorca, 401
Sagrada Familia metro station
Sagrada Familia metro station
Verdaguer metro station
Metro Station Monumental
Parking PROMOPARC Industry 9
Parking BSM Avenida Gaudí
Parking Rasina House
Parking BSM Sagrada Familia
Parking NN Valencia III
Parking NN Valencia
Lines to enter the Sagrada Família
The popularity of the temple among tourists means that you need to be prepared to stand in a long queue for entry – up to 2 hours or more.
It is recommended to bring sunscreen and water, as well as something to keep you occupied during the long wait.
There is a way to completely avoid the queues at the entrance to the Sagrada Família. Read our article on how to skip the lines at the Sagrada Família.
The building is still under construction and is expected to be completed in the next 20 to 25 years. Construction of the Sagrada Família began in 1882.
How to get to the Sagrada Família
Carrer Mallorca, 401
Metro: Sagrada Família (Blue Line, L5) and (Purple Line, L2) Barcelona metro map.
Tourist bus stop Barcelona Bus Turistic
If you take the Barcelona Bus Turistic, the closest stop to the Sagrada Família is Sagrada Família
Public transport – bus
Mallorca / Marina: 19, 33, 34, 50, 51, h20
Car parking
Car park near the Sagrada Família
Opening hours:
| January 01 and January 06 | Sunday and Friday | 09:00 – 14:00 |
| January – February | Monday – Saturday | 9:00 – 18:00 |
| Sunday | 10:30 – 18:00 | |
| March – October | Monday – Saturday | 9:00 – 19:00 |
| Sunday | 10:30 – 19:00 | |
| April – September | Monday – Saturday | 9:00 – 20:00 |
| Sunday | 10:30 – 20:00 | |
| November – December | Monday – Saturday | 9:00 – 18:00 |
| Sunday | 10:30 – 18:00 | |
| December 25 – December 26 | Monday – Tuesday | 09:00 – 14:00 |
Admission fee: €26.