Which Sagrada Família façade began construction in 1954?

The Passion façade of the Sagrada Família began construction in 1954.

Located on the church’s western side, the Passion façade represents the suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus. It was built after work resumed on Gaudí’s unfinished basilica following the Spanish Civil War, using the architect’s surviving drawings, models and instructions as guides. Its towers were completed in 1976.

The design deliberately contrasts with the richly ornamented Nativity façade. Gaudí envisioned the Passion side as austere and severe, with bare stone and angular forms suggesting a skeleton. The effect was intended to communicate the brutality and solemnity of Christ’s sacrifice rather than the joy associated with the Nativity.

The date can cause confusion because some accounts distinguish between excavation or preparatory work in 1954 and later construction phases. The standard English-language Sagrada Família account, however, dates construction of the Passion façade to 1954. The façade’s sculptural program was undertaken decades later, beginning in 1987.