The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (in English the Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is commonly known as the Sagrada Familia.
Construction began on the Sagrada Familia in 1882, yet the cathedral remains unfinished. Though it has been 130 years, computer software may finally allow the work on the Sagrada Familia to be completed through 3D modeling and imaging.
When architecht Antoni Gaudi died in 1926, the cathedral was less than a quarter finished. Since the church is an expiatory church, from its beginning it has been built on donations. Donations slowed for a period during the Spanish Civil War.
A CBS 60 Minutes video tells the story of history's longest running architectural project.
Even though it is incomplete, the Sagrada Familia was consecrated and named a major basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and the cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Of the project, Gaudi said, "The expiatory church of La Sagrada Familia is made by the people and is mirrored in them. It is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of the people."
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