How long has the Sagrada Família been under construction, and will it ever actually be finished?

The Sagrada Família in Barcelona has been under construction since 1882, making it well over 140 years in the making. Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883 and devoted the last years of his life to it, dying in 1926 with the basilica far from complete. Construction has continued in fits and starts ever since, interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, during which anarchists burned many of Gaudí's original plans and models, forcing architects to reconstruct his intentions from surviving fragments and photographs. The good news is that completion now seems genuinely within reach. The basilica received its building permit from Barcelona city authorities in 2019, resolving a long-standing legal ambiguity, and the central tower of Jesus Christ was completed and lit up in 2021. The construction foundation has stated that the goal is to finish the building by 2033, which would mark the centenary of Gaudí's death. Modern technology including computer-aided design and advanced stone-cutting machinery has dramatically accelerated the pace compared to earlier decades. Whether it will truly be finished by 2033 remains somewhat uncertain, as funding depends heavily on ticket revenue from visitors, which was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some delays have already been acknowledged. But the project is closer to completion than it has ever been, and barring major unforeseen setbacks, most observers believe the main structure will indeed be finished within this decade, even if some finishing details might extend slightly beyond that target date.