They grant permission to finish the Holy Family of Gaudi

The unfinished Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, ​​made by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, finally received an official work permit, 137 years after the beginning of its construction.

The city of Barcelona said Friday that it had granted the current builders a work permit valid until 2026. The builders said it was time to finish building the central towers of the city. 39, iconic Catholic temple.

The first stone of the basilica was laid in 1882, but the Barcelona authorities claim that there is no evidence that a building permit has ever been granted, although the request was made in 1885.

The Barcelona authorities claim that the city will receive 4.6 million euros ($ 5.2 million) in license payment, under a negotiated agreement with a foundation dedicated to the completion and the preservation of the Sagrada Familia.

With the agreement between the city and the foundation, he was "able to end up with a historical anomaly in our city," according to Janet Sanz, a Barcelona official.

More than 4.5 million visitors pay between 17 and 38 euros each year to visit the basilica the size of a cathedral.

The Barcelona government estimates that 20 million tourists stop outside to marvel at the bell towers. Gaudí planned to erect 12, one for each of the followers of Jesus Christ, but it is possible that they are never all built.

Once completed, the central towers will make La Sagrada Familia the highest religious structure in Europe, with 172.5 meters in height, according to the builders.

Barcelona has the largest concentration of buildings designed by Gaudí, whose daring modernist aesthetic continues to inspire architects: devout Catholic, he devoted a part of his professional life to the Sagrada Familia.