You’ve seen the photos. The spires look like melting wax or maybe some kind of psychedelic termite mound. If you’ve been to Barcelona, you’ve definitely stood in the shade of the Eixample district, craned your neck back until it hurt, and wondered how on earth a human being actually dreamt this up. Most people will give you the one-word answer: Gaudí. And they aren't wrong, obviously. Antoni Gaudí is the name etched into every souvenir shop and guidebook across Catalonia. But if you're asking who designed the Sagrada Família, the answer is actually a bit messier, more collaborative, and way more dramatic than just one guy with a penchant for curved stone.
It started with a bookseller. Josep Maria Bocabella wasn't an architect; he was a guy who sold religious books and really wanted a church dedicated to the Holy Family. He actually hired someone else first.
The Architect Before Gaudí: Francisco de Paula del Villar
Believe it or not, the world’s most famous "Gaudí masterpiece" didn't start with Gaudí. The original architect was a man named Francisco de Paula del Villar. He was a standard, reliable, Neo-Gothic professional. His plan was… fine. It was a classic Gothic Revival design, very much in line with the stuffy architectural trends of 1882. If he had stayed on the project, the Sagrada Família would look like a thousand other cathedrals in Europe. It would be beautiful, sure, but it wouldn't be this.
So, what happened?
Basically, a classic workplace dispute. Villar and the project’s technical advisor, Joan Martorell, couldn't agree on the materials or the cost of the columns. Villar got fed up and walked away in 1883. That’s when Martorell—who was actually Gaudí’s mentor—recommended his young, somewhat eccentric protégé for the job. Gaudí was only 31. He took Villar’s foundation, which was already being built, and essentially said, "Thanks, I'll take it from here, but we're changing everything."
He didn't just tweak the blueprints. He threw them out.
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Antoni Gaudí: The Man Who Lost the Blueprints
Gaudí wasn't a "blueprints" guy in the way we think of architects today. He didn't sit in a clean office with a ruler. He worked with 3D models. He used strings and weighted bags of birdshot to calculate the loads of his arches. By hanging these weights, he could see the natural curve of gravity, then he’d flip the whole concept upside down to create his structures. It was genius. It was also a nightmare for anyone trying to follow him.
By 1914, Gaudí stopped taking other commissions. He became obsessed. He lived on the construction site. He looked like a beggar, often wearing frayed clothes and shoes held together with string. Honestly, he was so disheveled that when he was struck by a tram in 1926, people thought he was a homeless man. He didn't have his ID on him. He died in a hospital for the poor before anyone realized the "father of Barcelona" was the one lying in the bed.
The Problem of 1936
When Gaudí died, he left behind a massive project that was only about 20% finished. He knew he wouldn't see it done. He used to say, "My client is not in a hurry," referring to God. But he did leave detailed plaster models and sketches so others could finish his work.
Then came the Spanish Civil War.
In 1936, revolutionaries set fire to Gaudí’s workshop inside the crypt. They smashed the plaster models. They burned his drawings. This is the big "what if" of architectural history. For years after the war, architects had to play detective. They spent decades piecing together the shattered fragments of those models like a giant, 3D jigsaw puzzle to figure out who designed the Sagrada Família's intended future. This is why some critics—like the historian Nikolaus Pevsner—have occasionally been skeptical of the modern construction, arguing it’s more of a "tribute" to Gaudí than his actual design.
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The Modern Team: Who is Building it Now?
Since Gaudí’s death, a succession of architects has taken the mantle. It’s a relay race across centuries.
- Domènec Sugrañes i Gras: He was Gaudí’s right-hand man and the first to take over after 1926. He finished the first four towers.
- Francesc Quintana and Isidre Puig Boada: These guys did the heavy lifting of reconstruction after the Civil War fire.
- Jordi Bonet i Armengol: He served as the chief architect for decades and was instrumental in introducing computer-aided design (CAD) to the project.
- Jordi Faulí i Oller: The current Chief Architect (as of 2026). He’s the one using 3D printing and high-tech stone cutting to finally meet the deadline.
The shift from hand-carved stone to CNC-milled blocks has been controversial. Some purists think it loses the "soul" of Gaudí’s tactile work. But honestly? Gaudí loved technology. He was obsessed with the latest structural innovations of his time. If he were alive today, he’d probably be the first person to buy a high-end 3D printer.
The Sculptors' Touch
Architecture isn't just the bones; it’s the skin. The Passion Façade, which faces the sunset, looks radically different from the Nativity Façade that Gaudí worked on personally. It’s harsh, angular, and bone-like. This was the work of Josep Maria Subirachs.
When Subirachs started in the 1980s, people hated it. They protested. They said his style was too modern, too "Star Wars," and didn't match Gaudí’s organic curves. But Subirachs argued that he shouldn't just copy Gaudí. He wanted to express the pain and sacrifice of the Passion in his own artistic language. Today, most visitors find it hauntingly beautiful, but it remains a reminder that the "designer" of this building is actually a collective of the greatest Catalan artists over 140 years.
Why Does This Matter?
Understanding that the Sagrada Família is a collaborative effort changes how you look at it. It’s not a static monument. It’s a living organism. When you see the differing colors of the stone—some dark and weathered, some bright and freshly cut—you’re seeing the timeline of a century.
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You’re seeing the transition from the 1800s to the 2000s.
The complexity of the design—the hyperboloids, the parabolas, the helicoids—wasn't just for show. Gaudí wanted to create a "Forest of Stone" that felt like nature. He believed there were no straight lines in nature, and therefore, there should be no straight lines in a house of God. That philosophy has been the North Star for every architect who has stepped onto the scaffolding since 1883.
Planning Your Visit: What to Look For
If you’re heading to Barcelona, don't just stare at the towers from the park. You have to go inside. That’s where the "design" hits you the hardest.
- The Columns: Look at the bases. They start as squares, turn into octagons, and eventually become circles as they go up. They look like trees branching out into a canopy.
- The Light: Gaudí designed the stained glass to be "symphonic." The Nativity side has cool blues and greens (morning light/birth), while the Passion side has fiery reds and oranges (evening light/death).
- The Crypt: This is where Gaudí is buried. It’s also where the original Villar design is most visible. It’s the only part of the church that feels "normal."
- The Museum: Downstairs, you can see the reconstructed models and the string-and-weight systems. This is the "brain" of the building.
The project is famously aiming for completion in the next few years, though the exact date seems to shift depending on who you ask and how much tourism revenue is coming in. Even when the main towers are finished, there will still be decorative work and the massive Glory Façade to complete.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Visit
To truly appreciate the design, you need to avoid the "tourist trap" mistakes.
- Book weeks in advance. Seriously. If you show up at the gate, you aren't getting in.
- Go at "Golden Hour." The way the sun hits the Passion Façade’s stained glass creates an interior glow that no camera can accurately capture.
- Look at the snails. Gaudí was obsessed with nature. Look for the carvings of lizards, snakes, and snails on the exterior walls. They aren't just decorations; they are symbols of the earth.
- Download the official app. The audio guide is actually decent and explains the geometry without being too boring.
At the end of the day, Antoni Gaudí is the soul of the building, but Francisco de Paula del Villar gave it its foundation, and a small army of modern architects are giving it its future. It is the world’s longest-running construction project for a reason. It is a bridge between the medieval mindset of a cathedral and the futuristic possibilities of modern engineering. When you stand under those "stone trees," you aren't just looking at a building; you're looking at a 140-year-old conversation between architects who never met but shared the same impossible dream.