The façade on Carrer de Sardenya is dedicated to the passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus. For its location, it is also known as the western façade.
In a theological sense, it is considered the façade of redemption. The Nativity
façade, on the other end of the transept, represents incarnation, theologically.
The Passion façade has the same structure as the Nativity façade (a narthex
and four bell towers, the latter devoted to the apostles James the Less, Bartholomew, Thomas and Philip, completed in 1977) but,
unlike the Nativity façadethat exalts the joy of life, this façade is in essence dramatic because it expresses the pain and sacrifice of the passion and
death of Jesus Christ, and by extension that of all humanity. Gaudí left a drawing
that describes this façade in great detail, explicitly indicating that it should be
“harsh and cruel, as if made of bones” and even noted that some may find it “too extravagant”.