As a writer, I’m rarely lost for words. I pride myself on being able to take in an experience and distill it out onto paper (screen) easily, efficiently, and relatively well. And yet standing here inside the “forest” of columns inside the unique Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, I can only come up with one: wow.

The most visited site in Barcelona – and probably in Spain – Sagrada Familia is unlike any other church, or any other building, on the planet. From the outside, its 14 (of 18; it still isn’t complete) towers dominate the city’s skyline either gracefully or seeming as pinecones, depending on who one asks. Those same people will also disagree on whether its two finished facades (of three) are beautiful, hideous, or somewhere in between. “Incredible,” I overhear from one side of me. “Overwhelming,” from another. “Like Willy Wonka on acid.” That last voice is the one in my own head looking at the church from the outside.

But from the inside, Sagrada Familia offers a totally different, almost minimalist, experience. This is the view that overwhelms me, but in a positive way, leaving me speechless. “Wow.”

You may have seen this place in the news headlines this year. That is because, more than 140 years after construction began, Sagrada Família’s huge four sided cross was placed on its tallest tower – one dedicated to Jesus – allowing the basilica to reach its maximum height. That’s a huge step, although with one full facade (the one that will hold the “main” doors) yet to even be started, the church is still likely several years or longer away from being fully finished. (The current estimate is 2034.) But for a place that has been under construction since 1882, it’s a major accomplishment.

Even in the offseason – it’s March during my visit – Sagrada Familia sells out daily, so booking ahead of time is a necessity. Admission includes a timed entry. You’ll also need to download an app that holds the audio guide. Pro tip: don’t just download the app; also download the audio guide itself inside it so you don’t have to use WiFi on site to do so.

The guide takes visitors through roughly an hour (it says 45 minutes, but there’s some walking between points as well) visit to the church itself, from one completed facade (the nativity facade) through the inside and to the other completed facade (the passion facade). One can also spend an hour or more in Sagrada Família’s museum following, so make sure to allot enough time. Plus, you know, for staring.

The building was designed by the most famous/infamous of Barcelona architects: Antoni Gaudi. (Click here to read about several of his buildings around Barcelona.) He inherited the site just after groundbreaking – in 1883 – and radically changed the initial design. At Gaudi’s death in 1926, the basilica was less than 25% complete, and so while subsequent lead architects and designers have remained dedicated to the original plans (Gaudi was obsessive at modeling, so there was a lot to go by), styles have changed some beyond the intentional differences originally designed.

The largest difference is between the outside of Sagrada Familia and its interior, but even the two finished facades offer vastly different appearances. The nativity facade is awash in realistic sculpture of biblical scenes, plant and animal life, and other Christian imagery. This was the one facade completed during Gaudi’s lifetime, and the only finished part of the building other than the crypt when the architect passed away.

Here, one each of three doors is dedicated to the members of the holy family (sagrada familia in Spanish, hence the name of the basilica): Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Scenes from Jesus’ birth sit alongside creeping vines, a painted Cyprus tree, and animals (even turtles – one land and one sea – on the bottom of two columns).

The passion facade, on the other hand, sits both spatially across from and stylistically in opposition to that of the nativity. Why? Part of it is Gaudi’s design, preferring austerity in Jesus’ death and imagery of bones beside the appropriate biblical scenes. And part is due to having another sculptor (Josep Maria Subirachs) as designer during this phase, which was only begun in 1987.

His style is more angular, with figures being almost cubist, as opposed to Gaudi’s original realistic sculptures on the opposite side. The result is a feeling of disharmony on the one hand, but also diversity on the other. Those who hate the nativity facade might find love for this one, or vice versa.

Completing the outside circuit of Sagrada Famila are the unfinished glory facade (currently blank stone and scaffolding) and the cloisters topped by harvest sculptures.

The church is topped by 14 towers (of 18 as mentioned before). 12 of those, four atop each of the three main facades, are dedicated to the apostles. Four are for the evangelists, with each topped by a winged statue of that man’s associated image (bull for Luke, lion for Mark, and so on). The central tower is dedicated to Jesus, and after receiving its cross made Sagrada Familia 565.9 feet tall, the tallest church in the world. (The four towers missing are apostolic towers that will sit over the glory facade, similar to the eight currently in existence split between the other two sides.)

After a quick stop in the cloisters (you’ll see another part on the other side with a collection of religious objects designed by Antoni Gaudi), visitors pass from the nativity facade into the church itself. And here is where – for most people overwhelmed by the exterior – the experience changes.

Gaudi designed the inside of Sagrada Familia to be simple. There are no side chapels; there is no huge altarpiece, only a single crucifix beneath lights and a parasol that almost seems to be skydiving Jesus.

Stained glass surrounds the church (other than on the unfinished facade), allowing the light to change constantly with the time and weather, with colors moving from blues and greens on the nativity wall to reds and yellows on the passion side. These stained glass windows are inscribed with the names of saints from all over the world.

Lights sit around the ceiling, but the majority of brightness is provided by the windows and by a huge “light funnel” designed by Gaudi that lets light in from the base of one of the towers and diffuses it along a golden inverted funnel over the image of Jesus.

But it is the columns that capture me. Done in four different stones, with four different thicknesses, and to four different heights, they represent trees. And if one stares upward to the tops (the height of the nave is a dizzying 148 feet, so it can strain the neck), they branch as trees do, holding up the massive roof and towers above.

Between the stained glass and pastel lighting, it is meant to give the image of standing in a forest and catching glimpses of the sky above. For me, it works, and that feeling is hard to convey in photos.

So I stand. I sit. I stare upward, and turn slowly to make the image change slightly. Each new spot on the grid of columns, each new height, each new focal point for my eyes offers a new sensation, a new view, a new feeling of being in the presence of something beautiful and truly special.

(One can also purchase tickets to head to the roof of the building, but my visit – sponsored by Barcelona Turisme – doesn’t include that. And to be totally honest, I don’t know that it needs it.)

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia is unique. It is divisive, or at least a conversation starter. But on this, my third visit to the site and second time seeing the interior, it has once again offered me something new: a sensation of calm, of beauty, of quieting the constant buzz in my head that likes to wordsmith an experience as I’m having it. This place will take your senses, overwhelm them, and then offer them back to you in a heightened manner, and will do that in a slightly different way from every angle and every subsequent visit.

In a modern world filled with things designed just for popularity, Sagrada Familia breaks all molds. So love it, hate it, or both… you will leave talking about it. And you’ll never, ever, forget it.

Thank you to Barcelona Turisme for your overwhelming generosity at working with me a second time, and for sharing your incredible city with me.

Like it? Pin it!