Architecture

The Glory Façade — Sagrada Família's Future Main Entrance

The largest and most monumental of the three façades, still under construction. When complete it will be the main entrance representing humanity's path to God.

TL;DR

The Glory façade faces south and will be the grandest entrance of the three when complete. It represents the journey of humanity toward God and divine glory. It's still under construction as of 2025 and won't be fully complete for several more years. Current visitors see it mid-build from the Carrer de Mallorca side.

The Glory façade is the last of the three main facades to be constructed. Gaudí left detailed sketches and models for its design, but the level of documentation is less complete than for the Nativity and Passion facades. The architects and sculptors working on it today must interpret his vision more freely than was necessary with the earlier facades.

The design calls for a monumental approach colonnade running from Carrer de Mallorca into the building, lined with lanterns and symbolic elements representing the seven deadly sins and seven virtues. The main doors will be covered in words from the Lord's Prayer in every language on Earth.

What the Glory Façade Will Look Like

The Glory façade will dwarf the other two facades in scale. Gaudí designed it as the primary public face of the building, the entrance that most visitors were supposed to use. The current situation, where tourists enter from the side, was always a temporary workaround during construction.

The central composition rises from an underground approach corridor beneath Carrer de Mallorca. This tunnel, which required a complex agreement with Barcelona city authorities over the road above it, leads visitors through a ceremonial passage before they emerge into the full height of the entrance atrium. The effect Gaudí intended was deliberate disorientation followed by revelation: you walk underground, in shadow, then rise into the light of the façade.

The Lord's Prayer Doors

The main entrance doors of the Glory façade will carry the text of the Lord's Prayer (Pater Noster) in over 50 languages. Gaudí designed this as an explicit statement of universality: the prayer that unites all Christian traditions, rendered in every human tongue, framing the entrance to the building.

The language list includes not only modern European languages but also ancient liturgical languages such as Latin, Coptic, and Church Slavonic. The positioning of each language on the doors is deliberate, not random. The Catalan text holds a prominent position, reflecting the building's roots in Catalan Catholic culture. This detail alone will take years of skilled craft to execute.

The Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Virtues

The lower sections of the Glory façade sculptural programme are dedicated to the seven deadly sins (at the base, close to the street) and the seven virtues (rising above them). This vertical ordering is entirely consistent with Gaudí's theological logic across the building: you enter at the level of human weakness and ascend toward the divine.

The sins depicted include Pride, Avarice, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Wrath. The corresponding virtues are Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Kindness, Temperance, Diligence, and Patience. Both sets are positioned at eye level for visitors approaching from the street, giving the façade an immediate legibility that the Nativity and Passion facades, with their dense layered imagery, do not offer from a distance.

Seeing the Glory Façade Today

Visitors approaching from Carrer de Mallorca (the south side) currently see scaffolding, construction barriers, and partial stonework. This is the face of the building that Gaudí intended to be most impressive, and it is the one that is furthest from complete. The contrast with the finished Nativity and Passion facades is stark.

Despite the construction state, this view is worth examining. The cloister walls flanking the future main entrance have been partially constructed, and some of the lower decorative stonework is already in place and carved. Walking along Carrer de Mallorca from west to east, the scale of what is still planned becomes clear. The eventual colonnade will extend roughly 50 metres from the building's face toward the street, creating a formal approach axis unlike anything currently visible in Barcelona's urban fabric.

Current Status at a Glance

Portal stonework In progress
Underground tunnel Partially complete
Cloister walls Partial construction
Sculptural programme Not yet started
Lord's Prayer doors Not yet started
Projected completion 2030s

See the Construction in Progress

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Glory Façade FAQs

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What is the Glory façade of the Sagrada Família?

The Glory façade is the main entrance of the Sagrada Família, facing south toward Carrer de Mallorca. It will be the largest and most monumental of the three facades when complete. Gaudí designed it to represent humanity's journey toward God: from death and sin at the base, rising through the virtues, and culminating in the glory of the divine at the top.

Is the Glory façade finished?

No. As of 2025, the Glory façade is still largely under construction. The portal and lower sections are in progress. The full facade, including its planned colonnaded approach from the street and the underground crypt extension, is years away from completion. You can see the construction from outside the building.

When will the Glory façade be complete?

The Glory façade is one of the last major elements to be completed. The current projections place substantial Glory façade completion in the 2030s, though the building's overall interior and towers are prioritised first. See our completion date page for the full projected schedule.
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