At the first look I definitely thought it was ugly. Without any doubt.
And then I learned more about it. About its story and about its designer. Antoni Gaudi worked on the project for over 40 years; it is said that during the lengthy construction period he has remarked, "My client is not in a hurry." ;)
And I learned about Gaudi’s devotion to the Temple. Even when he was going through a hard convalescence, he still had the strength to design the Passion façade. When the deficit threatened the construction, Gaudí was against suspending the works and spent most of his time in the workshops of the Temple, to whom he devoted the last 15 years of his life. In order to raise funds, he became the main apostle of the construction, and tirelessly explained it in detail to anybody that would visit it. Occasionally he would personally go out into the street to raise funds among the passers-by.
Today is still unfinished; construction on Sagrada Família is not supported by any government or official church sources. Money from tickets purchased by tourists is used to pay for the work, and private donations are accepted. And yet we are still not sure how long it will take to be finished.
And now I take another look at the Temple. I bear in mind that someone devoted most of his life to its construction, that he was dreaming and constantly improvising, that he put passion into designing, buiding and raising money for it... and I can now say Sagrada Familia is absolutely beautiful.
