Sagrada Família

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Catalan pronunciation: [səˈɣɾaðə fəˈmiɫiə]; English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop.

Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

Sagrada Familia (disambiguation)

Sagrada Familia means "Holy family" in Spanish, and is written Sagrada Família in Catalan. The term may refer to:

See also

Sagrada Familia, Chile

Sagrada Familia (Spanish meaning "Holy Family") is a Chilean town and commune in Curicó Province, Maule Region.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Sagrada Familia spans an area of 548.8 km² (212 sq mi) and has 17,519 inhabitants (9,108 men and 8,411 women). Of these, 5,080 (29%) lived in urban areas and 12,439 (71%) in rural areas. The population grew by 3.7% (625 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Sagrada Familia is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Francisco Meléndez Rojas (PS).

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Sagrada Familia is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Roberto León (PDC) and Celso Morales (UDI) as part of the 36th electoral district, (together with Curicó, Teno, Romeral, Molina, Hualañé, Licantén, Vichuquén and Rauco). The commune is represented in the Senate by Juan Antonio Coloma Correa (UDI) and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín (PDC) as part of the 10th senatorial constituency (Maule-North).