Larsen’s photograph of the Templo de la Sagrada Familia Cathedral appears in the 50 Places of a Lifetime special issue of the magazine. The magazine published the special issue once before in 1999.
Larsen serves with the Department of World Mission’s Mosaics Project and considers photography a “serious hobby,” he says. “It’s a way of keeping track of my travels.” Larsen sells some of his photos. During the Christmas season 50 percent of all sales will benefit missions in Morocco.
He took the picture while living in Spain in 2006-2007 and posted it on his Flickr account. He never submitted the photograph for publication.
“I just had an email pop up on my Flickr account, and they were looking for photographs of Barcelona,” Larsen says. They had found the photograph while doing a web search.
Famed architect Antoni Gaudí began work on the cathedral—considered his masterpiece—in 1884. He designed the structure even as it was being constructed. He died in 1926 after being struck by a tram.
The cathedral is still under construction, with other architects contributing to the design. It is not expected to be completed until at least 2026.
