Sagrada Familia

If you go to Barcelona the place you can not miss is Sagrada Familia, a church different from anyother you have ever seen.

The first unique thing about it is that it is not finished yet! Have you ever seen a church with cranes over its towers? 

Another unconventional thing is that there are very few statues inside the church (only three, to be exact). The sculptures are all on the outside.

And the facedes are a spectacle! Each of them tell a part of Christ's story. The entrance is the birth, the other side is the passion (crucifiction) - the other one (Glory facede) is not yet ready. The story is told in detail by images sculpted in the rocks, many of them resembling nature elements, such as plants, animals and even cell's structures. 

Inside the church there are other elements from nature. Its columns are inspired by threes and the light coming through the stained glasses makes it feel like a forest. 

Also, you can find the man responsible for this work of art in the church. There are sculptures of Gaudí, Sagrada Familia's architect, hidden in the facade. And you can spend hours there just to find other curiosities.

Once it's finished, the church will have 18 towers, 4 in each of the three facades (which are already built) and 6 in the middle, just like Gaudí planned. 

Gaudí

Besides the church, the architect also built many buildings in Barcelona, becoming the city's symbol. Casa Milá, Casa Batló and Parc Guell are other importants works of his.

He is buried inside Sagrada Família and under the church there is a little museum that tells a little bit of his story, since he spent over 20 years living in the temple. 

My experience

I'm not a catholic neither a christian. I don't follow any religion really. But I felt faithful when I visited Sagrada Familia.

I don't know if it was the light, the nature elements of the spirit of Gaudí, but for once in my life I didn't feel weird inside a church. On the contrary, I felt really happy! 

Tips

Since it's the most famous place in Barcelona, Sagrada Família can be hard to get in. My advice is to buy tickets beforehand. The simple ticket (without audio guides or the visit to the towers) is 13 euros for students - expensive, but totally worth it! 

Once you buy a ticket online you'll have a scheduled time to visit the church, so you won't face any line. If you decide to buy there, you risk not even getting in, since they run out of tickets really early in the morning.