These Gothic Cathedrals Took 500+ Years to Build - Completing Medieval Cathedrals
Video from Kings and Things
The Artistry and Perseverance of Building Medieval Cathedrals: A Testament to Time and Craftsmanship
"This video is about Gothic Cathedrals that were never finished in the Middle Ages. For various reasons these massive building projects dragged out, and were only completed in the 19th and even 20th centuries!" from video introduction
Centuries of Work: 3 Cathedrals Whose Construction Lasted Longer Than Sagrada Familia
"The prolonged construction of the Catalan church is not unprecedented; in fact, many gothic precedents took centuries longer to build.
The star-lighting event of Sagrada Familia on Dec 8, 2021 announced the completion of one of its 18 towers, the tower of the Virgin Mary. Since the first cornerstone laid in 1882, the construction of this other-wordly church — famously attributed to Antoni Gaudí, although a number of architects have been involved in the design — has continued for 139 years already. However, the finishing date of the whole project is likely to be extended beyond the expected date of 2026, due to a loss of tourist revenue during its nine-month closure in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This is not the first crisis that Sagrada Familia has confronted, given that it also faced a prolonged pause in construction during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. Apart from the financial and socio-historical factors, the complexity of the design itself has also contributed to the church’s high cost in time and money — even now, with modern construction technologies. While 139 years might sound like an unbelievably drawn out timeline in contemporary architectural contexts, the Sagrada Familia’s prolonged construction is not unprecedented in the architectural history of churches; in fact, many earlier Gothic structures took centuries longer to build. While Barcelona’s most famous structure may not serve as the bishop’s seat, this article considers three famous Gothic cathedrals that took many more centuries to build..."
from the article: Centuries of Work: 3 Cathedrals Whose Construction Lasted Longer Than Sagrada Familia