At the start of 2002, to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the architect Antoni Gaudí, Domus asked me to write an article on the controversial issue of the continuation of construction work on the Sagrada Família Church. Published in May of that year, my article explained that, in the early 1960s, while I was still at university, I had been one of the instigators of a manifesto against the continuation of the church, which received the unconditional support of all the intelligentsia of the day—from Bruno Zevi to Giulio Carlo Argan, Alvar Aalto and Le Corbusier. The reaction to its publication was overwhelming and we were labelled as Marxist heretics. That year, public donations broke all records and those in charge of building felt this gave them more legitimacy than ever, not only before God (which they had never doubted) but also before men of good faith. In 2002, the question was no longer whether the construction, by then at an advanced stage and which no one would dare demolish, should be continued but how it should be finished.
Upon the consecration of the church, I have been asked the same question again. Eight years have passed and my critical opinion has begun to falter. My doubts began when I saw the central nave being built from the street. The space seemed majestic and impressive. My rejection wavered all the more when Alfons Soldevila—an excellent architect, technologically advanced in tensile structures, galvanised steel and polycarbonate, and with whom I have worked on several occasions—told me that I would drastically change my mind if I had an in-depth knowledge of the works. He assured me that the Sagrada Família was the most important building of the twentieth Century and that he would personally show me around it. I accepted this invitation so that I could write this article from an informed standpoint. I have just toured the church from top (it is over 60 metres high) to bottom with Alfons and Josep Gómez Serrano, one of the project architects, and I must admit that I was dumbfounded.
![The central nave of the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The central nave of the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2011/03/10/in-finite-architectures/big_330962_8515_DO110305003_UPD1.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![After a number of neo-Gothic religious commissions, Gaudí secured the Sagrada Família appointment thanks to the backing of Juan Martorell i Montells, for whom Gaudí and Doménech i Montaner had worked as young assistants. Conceived as if a medieval cathedral, the church was entirely financed by private donations. After a number of neo-Gothic religious commissions, Gaudí secured the Sagrada Família appointment thanks to the backing of Juan Martorell i Montells, for whom Gaudí and Doménech i Montaner had worked as young assistants. Conceived as if a medieval cathedral, the church was entirely financed by private donations.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2011/03/10/in-finite-architectures/big_330962_8863_DO110305002_UPD1.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
Although the people continuing the work got the basics right, they do not have Jujol's ability to interpret Gaudí in his own language, nor the capacity of Scarpa or Albini to convey him in their own language.
![Although not yet completed, the Sagrada Família was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010. Although not yet completed, the Sagrada Família was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2011/03/10/in-finite-architectures/big_330962_8215_DO110305005_UPD1.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![The Sagrada Família was built at the initiative of José Maria Bocabella i Verdaguer and José Maria Rodriguez. In 1881, they purchased a large site in the Gracia district. Work began in 1882 and the building soon assumed huge significance, becoming a meeting place for religious groups and the city’s conservative press.
The Sagrada Família was built at the initiative of José Maria Bocabella i Verdaguer and José Maria Rodriguez. In 1881, they purchased a large site in the Gracia district. Work began in 1882 and the building soon assumed huge significance, becoming a meeting place for religious groups and the city’s conservative press.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2011/03/10/in-finite-architectures/big_330962_5330_DO110305007_UPD1.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![A period photograph of the model in scale 1:10 (1922-1926). A period photograph of the model in scale 1:10 (1922-1926).](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2011/03/10/in-finite-architectures/big_330962_7918_DO110305008_UPD1.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)