Antoni Gaudí designed the Sagrada Família in Barcelona after taking over the project in 1883.
Construction began in 1882 under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. Gaudí became chief architect the following year and transformed the project, developing an intensely original basilica with sculptural façades, branching columns, and towers inspired by natural forms.
Gaudí worked on the church until his death in 1926, but it remained unfinished. Later architects continued construction using his surviving models, plans, and ideas, while also adapting to modern engineering methods and changing interpretations.
The full name is the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. It is often called simply the Sagrada Família. The building is a basilica rather than a conventional cathedral, and its unfinished status is central to its history.