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Eixample · 06

la Sagrada Família

La Sagrada Família is the Eixample neighbourhood named after Gaudí's temple, raised over the fields and low houses of the old Poblet and still under construction in 2026.[1][2][3][4]

Look up from Plaça de la Sagrada Família: since 20 February 2026 the Tower of Jesus Christ has carried its cross at 172.5 metres, and a crane is still working among the towers. Then walk down the promenade of Avinguda de Gaudí, where the diagonal opens towards Sant Pau.[3][4][5][6]

La Sagrada Família is a neighbourhood of the Eixample district named after the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The area was previously known as el Poblet, a neighbourhood of fields and low houses where factories settled in the 19th century.[1]

The temple's foundation stone was laid on 19 March 1882 for a neo-Gothic design by Francesc de Paula Villar. Gaudí directed the work from 1883 to 1926, and in 2010 the church was consecrated a minor basilica.[2]

la Sagrada Família (neighbourhood 06) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Eixample: la Dreta de l'Eixample, l'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample, la Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample, Sant Antoni, el Fort Pienc.

Where the name comes from

Etymology: certain[1]

The neighbourhood takes its name from the temple of the Sagrada Família. The area was previously known as el Poblet, a name the basilica came to eclipse.[1]

The neighbourhood is in the Eixample; Avinguda de Gaudí crosses it diagonally from the basilica towards Sant Pau.[6]

Before the neighbourhood

Before the basilica the area was el Poblet: a neighbourhood of fields and low houses where factories settled in the 19th century and drove its growth.[1]

How the streets were made

Avinguda de Gaudí is 0.7 km long and cuts across the grid diagonally between the basilica and Sant Pau. Conceived by Léon Jaussely in the 1907 plan, it opened in 1927 under the name of General Primo de Rivera; the name Gaudí, adopted after 1931, became official in 1962. In 1985 Màrius Quintana redesigned it as a pedestrian street with a 9 m central promenade; the lampposts are by Pere Falqués (1909).[6]

Dates that changed it

  1. 1882 the foundation stone is laid, for a neo-Gothic design by Francesc de Paula Villar.[2]
  2. 1883 Antoni Gaudí takes charge of the work, which he directs until 1926.[2]
  3. 1907 Léon Jaussely's plan envisages the diagonal that becomes Avinguda de Gaudí.[6]
  4. 1927 the avenue opens under the name of General Primo de Rivera; the name Gaudí becomes official in 1962.[6]
  5. 20 July 1936 a fire destroys the building workshop and archives.[2]
  6. 1985 Màrius Quintana redesigns Avinguda de Gaudí as a pedestrian street.[6]
  7. 7 November 2010 Benedict XVI consecrates the church as a minor basilica.[2]
  8. 20 February 2026 the cross is installed, completing the exterior of the 172.5 m Tower of Jesus Christ.[3][4]
  9. 22 September 2026 the Construction Board acknowledges that the Glory staircase will affect more than one building.[7][8]

People behind the buildings

Francesc de Paula Villar, Antoni Gaudí, Jordi Faulí

Villar designed the neo-Gothic temple in 1882; Gaudí took over the direction in 1883 and kept it until 1926. The current chief architect, Jordi Faulí, said in February 2026 that the cross on the Tower of Jesus Christ is much more than the end of a construction phase.[2]

Institutions

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

In 2025 it received 4.87 million visitors and took in EUR 134.5 million, nearly 97% of it from visitors; spending of EUR 113.5 million went mainly to construction and technical operations.[4]

Struggles that left a mark

The Glory façade staircase

Demand: Finishing the main façade with the staircase Gaudí designed, on Carrer de Mallorca, would require demolishing residential buildings: betevé put the homes potentially affected at about 1,000 in March 2026, and on 22 September 2026 the Construction Board acknowledged that more than one building will be affected.[7][8]

Outcome: No formal approval as of October 2026

What can still be seen

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

The Nativity façade and the crypt have been UNESCO World Heritage since 2005.[2]

Avinguda de Gaudí

A 0.7 km pedestrian boulevard between the basilica and Sant Pau, with lampposts by Pere Falqués (1909) and Apel·les Fenosa's sculpture 'Good Weather Chasing the Storm'.[6]

What disappeared

The building workshop and archives

A fire on 20 July 1936 destroyed the workshop and archives of the Sagrada Família building works.[2]

The neighbourhood today

In 2026 la Sagrada Família had 53,201 registered residents, a density of 510.6 inhabitants per hectare and a 29.2% share of residents with non-Spanish nationality. In 2025 the basilica received 4.87 million visitors.[9][10][11][4]

Non-Spanish nationality (2026): 29.2%

What is changing

The basilica, as of October 2026

On 20 February 2026 the upper arm of the cross was installed on the Tower of Jesus Christ, completing its exterior at 172.5 m; interior work continues through 2027 and 2028, and structural completion is expected around 2028. The central crane, cut from 203 m to 174 m (24 July 2026), will mainly serve the 120 m towers of the Glory façade, which the basilica expects to take about ten years to build once work begins. The staircase of that façade, on Carrer de Mallorca, has no formal approval: on 22 September 2026 the Construction Board admitted it will affect more than one building (3Cat). The work therefore does not finish in 2026.

Read it on foot

Start: Sagrada Família (L2/L5) · End: Avinguda de Gaudí[6]

Walking (excluding stop time): 10 min · 740 m · Estimated visit (with stops): 40 min

The geometry follows the pedestrian network between the three marked points, but it has not been verified as step-free. The approach from public transport is not included in the stated distance.

la Sagrada Família (neighbourhood 06) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Eixample: la Dreta de l'Eixample, l'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample, la Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample, Sant Antoni, el Fort Pienc.

1
Plaça de la Sagrada Família
Plaça de la Sagrada Família
Look up at the Tower of Jesus Christ with its cross on top and, beside it, the tall crane that stands for the work still to come.[3][4]
The tower's exterior was completed on 20 February 2026, at 172.5 m. On 24 July 2026 the basilica announced that the crane was being cut from 203 m to 174 m to raise the 120 m towers of the Glory façade.[3][4]
Coordinates
41.40266, 2.17317 · OpenStreetMap
2
Carrer de Mallorca
Carrer de Mallorca 401
200 m · 3 min
Stand on Carrer de Mallorca, facing the basilica's south side where the Glory façade is to be built, and notice the apartment blocks around it.[7][8]
The staircase of this façade, as Gaudí designed it, would require demolishing buildings. On 22 September 2026 the Construction Board acknowledged it will affect more than one, and the permits cover only the four towers.[7][8]
Coordinates
41.40316, 2.17428 · OpenStreetMap
3
Avinguda de Gaudí
Avinguda de Gaudí
530 m · 7 min
Look down the avenue: the diagonal breaks the grid, and on either side of the central promenade stand old lampposts and café terraces.[6]
Conceived by Jaussely in 1907 and opened in 1927, it was turned into a pedestrian street with a 9 m central promenade by Màrius Quintana in 1985; the lampposts are by Pere Falqués (1909).[6]
Coordinates
41.40701, 2.17440 · OpenStreetMap

Sources for this page

Dates, figures and historical claims are linked to the records used for this page.

  1. [1] Barcelona Turisme (n.d.). Sagrada Família neighbourhood. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  2. [2] Viquipèdia (2026). Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  3. [3] Vatican News (2026-02). Sagrada Família completes the Tower of Jesus Christ with its cross. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  4. [4] Catalan News (2026). Sagrada Família unveils new image as 2025 marked year of consolidation. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  5. [5] Basílica de la Sagrada Família (2026-07-24). La grua central inicia una nova etapa després de completar l'exterior de la Torre de Jesucrist. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  6. [6] Viquipèdia (2026). Avinguda de Gaudí. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  7. [7] 3Cat (2026-09-22). La Sagrada Família rectifica i diu que culminar l'escalinata afectarà més d'un edifici. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  8. [8] betevé (2026-03). L'escalinata de la Glòria de la Sagrada Família, a punt de desencallar-se. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
  9. [9] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Padró municipal d'habitants (pad_mdbas) — població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
  10. [10] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2021). Densitat de població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
  11. [11] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Població per nacionalitat i sexe. Barris. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
  12. [12] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2023). Renda disponible de les llars per persona. Seccions censals. Accessed: 2026-07-17.

Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · 12 sources consulted

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