Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia finally has a building completion date after more than 140 years

The world’s oldest construction project finally has a finish date so you better start booking your tickets to Barcelona.

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, has been a bit delayed in the past.

In fact, that is quite an understatement as the church’s construction began on March 19, 1882.

So, 144 years later, the world can enjoy and visit the tourist attraction in all of its glory.

The president of the organization tasked with completing Antoni Gaudí’s masterwork announced the date last Wednesday.

While the building is set to be completed by this date, there is still a catch.

The actual work on sculptures and decorative details wont yet be finished. But it is still a massive milestone for a building which has been paused multiple times and come to a near standstill on progress over generations.

The website for the attraction admits that progress has been slow but in 2026, the powers that be are hoping the building will at least be completed.

The year will also coincide with the centenary of Gaudi’s death, so an added touch.

“The death of Gaudi was one of the first instances to have halted the progress of the church’s construction. Ten years later, when the Spanish Civil War broke out, the construction was halted. The vandals who destroyed the models and plans for the basilica did no favors to the progress,” the website states.

“Over the years, the construction of Sagrada Familia gained momentum but was temporarily halted again in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“However, the basilica was reopened to key workers in July 2020 and now, the completion of Sagrada Familia is advancing at a promising speed.

“Five generations have watched the progress of the basilica. It is only poetically fitting that the fruition of this one-of-a-kind spectacle is now expected to be finished in 2026, which marks the centenary of Gaudi’s death.”

Despite this good news and positive step forward, there still remains controversy surrounding the inclusion of a stairway in the building.

The stairway, which will eventually lead to the main entrance, will extend across two large city blocks and will result in about 1,000 families and businesses being dislodged.

Esteve Camps, the Executive Chairman of the Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Foundation, has defended the inclusion of the stairway and said it was always part of the architects’ original plan.

“We are following Gaudí’s plan to the letter, he said.

“We are his heirs and we can’t renounce his project. The plan presented to the local authority in 1915, which was signed by Gaudí, includes the stairway.”