Relying solely on private donations, the Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church's crypt. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. On 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica. Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
