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Plans for a staircase in the La Sagrada Familia have sparked opposition because of the potential demolition of nearby homes and offices, affecting around 1,000 homes and businesses.
Architects say the world’s most famous unfinished building may finally be completed by 2034.
Esteve Camps, president of the organization responsible for realizing Antoni Gaudí’s original master plan, said that if construction proceeds as planned, the 172.5-meter-tall central tower dedicated to Jesus Christ could be completed by 2026, making the The Sagrada Familia is the tallest building in Barcelona.
This is also the centenary of the untimely death of the founder of the Sagrada Familia in 1926.
However, work on other sculptures and decorations, as well as the controversial staircase leading to the main entrance, is expected to continue until 2034.
The staircase plans have sparked opposition from residents and businesses because, if implemented, it would involve demolishing blocks of housing and offices next to existing buildings and result in the relocation of around 1,000 homes and businesses.
Campos said he remains committed to the expansion despite opposition from residents.
He said that “as Gaudí’s heirs” the architects planned to continue the expansion project “in accordance with Gaudí’s intentions”.
He said he was in talks with Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni over the future of the extension.
“I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me when they’re going to make a decision,” he said at a news conference last Wednesday.
Salvador Barroso, a lawyer and representative of the local protest group Sagrada Familia’s Association of Those Affected, is taking legal action to block the proposed staircase.
Barroso claimed that the staircase was never in Gaudi’s original plans and that it was dreamed up by the architect’s disciples after his untimely death. The original plans were destroyed by anarchists when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, but were later painstakingly pieced together by successive architects.
“Sagrada Familia says a lot of things, but they don’t have the final say. The council will decide. God may decide in the end and not humans,” he said.
A spokesman told Euronews that Barcelona city council has yet to make a decision on the extension.
“We are working with representatives from the Sagrada Familia, neighboring residents and other organizations to find the best solution to complete the works and meet the city’s necessities,” he said.
He added that Barcelona wanted to “guarantee the right to housing and minimize the number of people affected”.
The building’s work is financed by the annual entrance fee of 25 to 40 euros collected from visitors to the cathedral.
Last year, 4.707 million people visited the Sagrada Familia, an increase of 24.7% from the previous year, but still lower than the 4.717 billion visitors before the outbreak in 2019.
The largest number of tourists (85%) comes from abroad, with the largest group of tourists by nationality coming from the United States (19% of the total), followed by France (7.5%), Italy (7.2%) and the United Kingdom (5.9%). Spaniards account for 14.6% of tourists.
Revenue in 2023 was €126.9 million, all generated from private sources such as tourist receipts. In terms of expenditure, 52% of the budget is spent on construction and 26% on the management of the cathedral.
How the remaining money was spent is not known, as the church is not obliged to publish its accounts.
Last year, some 51,696 people attended the 66 international Masses at La Sagrada Familia, while 280,670 faithful attended services at the cathedral.
There have been efforts to “internationalize” the Sagrada Familia brand, with concerts in the sanctuary with the Berlin Philharmonic and exhibitions at a series of museums in Japan.
This copy has been updated and corrected.
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