The Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia, known simply as the Sagrada Familia, is undoubtedly Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece and the greatest example of Catalan modernist architecture. It is not only one of the most visited monuments in Spain, together with the Prado Museum and the Alhambra of Granada, and the most visited church in Europe after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but also the ultimate symbol of Barcelona.

Construction of the basilica began in 1882, and one year later Antoni Gaudí was appointed director of the project. He worked on it for more than 40 years, until his death in 1926. The general plan and his extensive studies of the project, based on the use of innovative naturalistic geometric forms, are the foundation upon which the temple’s architects continue working today.

Eight of the twelve bell towers on the façades, each over 100 meters high and dedicated to the apostles, have already been built. Still to be constructed are the four bell towers of the Glory Façade, the central tower of 170 meters in honor of Jesus Christ, the tower of the Virgin Mary (125 m), and those of the four evangelists. The vaults of the main nave are completed, and work is currently focused mainly on the crossing, transepts, and apse area.

Built under the concept of an expiatory temple, it has been financed from the beginning exclusively through private donations, and this continues today thanks to contributions from faithful followers and admirers of the work.

This legendary theater, a symbol of 19th-century bourgeois Barcelona, ​​was a place to see and be seen.

The building was inaugurated on April 4, 1847, and followed the structure of Italian theaters, with an initial capacity of 4,000 people. On April 9, 1861, a fire destroyed the auditorium and stage. The restoration, carried out in record time, was undertaken by the renowned architect Josep Oriol Mestres.

On November 7, 1893, amidst social tensions and a climate of workers' unrest, during the second act of Rossini's opera Guillaume Tell, an anarchist threw two bombs into the audience, killing 20 people and injuring many others. The attack shocked Barcelona, ​​and for years the seats of those who died in the bombing remained unoccupied.

On January 31, 1994, a major fire destroyed almost the entire theater. Only the central façade facing La Rambla, the main lobby with its staircases, and the Hall of Mirrors survived and have been preserved as they were. The reconstruction followed the original plans: The auditorium, explicitly inspired by La Scala in Milan, has a horseshoe-shaped layout, with an orchestra level and five balconies. Its seating capacity is 2,292, one of the largest among European opera houses.

The auditorium's ornamentation also reflects the 1909 decorative renovation, featuring gilded and polychrome plaster moldings. This style reflects the layering of elements from different periods and tastes within the typical splendor of 19th-century opera houses. The chandeliers are made of brass, with their characteristic dragon shape and glass shades. The orchestra seats are made of cast iron and upholstered in red velvet.