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Five generations have witnessed the evolution of the Basilica since the project broke ground in 1882. In this section, you’ll discover their stories and the bonds they have forged with the Basilica over the years.
You will also learn about the initiatives to open Gaudí’s work up to the public, in line with the architect’s wishes; the Social Action Fund charity projects, the cultural actions and the educational project.
Mariano Barceló: the history of the baldachin model
Antoni Gaudí made sculptures from real models. One of them was Mariano Barceló, a stonemason at the Sagrada Família who posed for Christ on the crucifix.
Angelina Torres: «They told me they were going to build a church that would be the pride of Catalonia»
She was 112 years and almost 8 months old. Angelina Torres Vallbona was the oldest person in Spain. The fifth of seven siblings, Torres was born in 1913 (one year before World War I) in Bellvís...
Sagrada Família’s history with the Pope
The most noteworthy visits and contact of the pontiffs to the Sagrada Familia
Who were the real models on the Nativity façade?
Sculptors in Gaudí’s time created plaster moulds of objects, animals and plants...
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