Dating back to 1877, a plot of land in the new Eixample area of Barcelona was bought to mark the end of the de-Christianization. In 1882, construction of the Sagrada Familia began, led by architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. Gaudí took over the project in 1883 at the age of 31, and would continue working on the church until his death over 40 years later.
Due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1935, construction was temporarily halted. Gaudí had completely transformed and renovated the design of the church, giving it a central theme of ´natural elements´. During the war, some of Gaudí´s structures had been demolished, yet fortunately the church itself remained standing. Construction restarted in the 1950s, and you can still see the Sagrada Familia being worked on today.