The Sagrada Familia

The promoter of the Sagrada Famila construction was Bocabella i Verdaguer Josep Maria, a highly educated bookseller who in 1866 founded "The Spiritual Association of Devotees of San Jose" an entity which aimed to support the dissemination of Catholicism 
The activity Josep Maria Bocabella developed to promote his idea led him in 1872 on a visit to the Holy Father in Rome to offer on behalf of the Association a silver image of the Holy Family. He visited the town of Loreto, where the sight of its church inspired him. He was also the one who found the plot of 12.800m2 and bought it for a price of 1.034 Euros.

The works started in 1882 with the architect F. Villar y Lozano as the head of the project but soon he was replaced as some conflicts between him and Bocabella arose. Gaudi, who was then only 31 years old, accepted to be in charge of this project that he started in 1883 with the crypt that was already begun, adding a moat around so it could have direct light and natural ventilation. Gaudí also modified the capitals, under dispute with Villar. All this after abandoning his initial idea of building the temple diagonally on the plot, which was impossible because the vault was already started.

Before considering the whole church, Gaudí still had to finish the chapel of St. Joseph which opened on March 19 (San Jose) 1885.
From here, Gaudí rethought the project and developed a new idea from the few elements already built, proposing to build a grand temple with a Latin cross plan in which it was deposited all his architectural knowledge. A plan of the temple published by "The Propagador" in 1890 already showed twelve towers and the large central dome.

Gaudí did not complete plans, but based on some key dimensions, is setting the different elements of construction in large fragments. 
In 1892 he began the foundation of the facade of the Nativity, the cloister and the north transept window. 
The year 1899 was just the Portal del Rosario in the facade of the Nativity. 
The studies that Gaudí made for each facade were very detailed and onto a scale of 1:25 and 1:10. 
For the facade of the Passion he made three studies, the final in 1911, published in 1917, but he didn’t make a model. 
He made the calculations of the domes, but not the full study.

Gaudi dedicated the last years of his life studying the interior of the temple, with columns, arches, windows, roofs and linking facades between portals.

On July 10th 1926 Gaudi died in an accident, hit by a tram train. He was buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia on the 12th. 

Shall his works be continued?

There was a big controversy about this matter. On 9 January 1965 an open letter was published at the newspaper "La Vanguardia" of Barcelona, signed by an important group of intellectuals and artists who included the then dean of the College of Architects and President of the FAD (Promotion of Decorative Arts). 
This group expressed their views against the continuation of works on the temple for various reasons among which are mentioned the lack of Gaudí's original plans and the inadequacy of the temple for the religious needs of a modern society. 
The letter caused a major public controversy but works continued and continue until now.