La Sagrada Familia’s Sculptures

Today I visited Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, also known as La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia is a church that has been under construction for over 100 years.

There is a lot I could say about La Sagrada Familia because it is huge, but one of my favorite things about it was the sculptures. There are lots sculptures at the entrance and the exit of the church, unlike many other churches I have seen. At the entrance, I was awed by the number of scenes and the story that the sculptures told. The sculptures were telling the story of Jesus’s birth. There were the Three Wise Men giving the newborn Jesus presents. I was amazed at how realistic they seemed. The sculptures were cheery and happy, there were angels everywhere, I felt relaxed and safe.


Then I went to the exit, there I was very surprised at the style of the sculptures. The faces looked unrealistic, angular, and square. The people looked sad and grim, their bodies were very skinny. Some sculptures didn’t even have faces! The story being told was about Jesus’s death. The story began with the last supper and ended with Jesus ascending to heaven which is represented as Jesus sitting on a ledge on one of the towers.

Angular faces at the exit

Jesus ascending to heaven

Overall, La Sagrada Familia’s sculptures are a sight to behold. The sculptures had probably made an impact in sculptures to come because later, in Girona, I saw a sculpture that was in a similar style.