The Portal of Hope is crowned by an image of the Cavall Bernat, one of the most prominent rock formations on Montserrat mountain. Nested atop Montserrat is the abbey that houses the Virgin of Montserrat, the black Madonna widely known as La Moreneta.

On 11th September 1881, during Gaudí's lifetime, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed the Virgin of Montserrat Patron Saint of all Catalan dioceses.

In this allegorical image, Saint Joseph grips the helm of the Ship of the Church with a steady hand. A dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit drives on the ship from the top of a gabled roof like that of an ark.

Saint Joseph was proclaimed Patron Saint of the Universal Church in 1870 by Pope Pius IX, during Gaudí's lifetime.

A fervent cult of Saint Joseph in late 19th-century Catalonia led to the foundation of the Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph, the organization that originally promoted the Sagrada Família construction project.

Mary and Joseph kneel facing each other, joining their hands to seal their marriage vows. Joseph looks at Mary; she lowers her eyes. Behind them, a priest reaches out to the bride and groom. In the foreground is a bouquet of roses.

God Almighty determined that Mary would conceive a child brought about by the Holy Spirit, but he also determined that Jesus should have a father on earth. The man chosen to be a part of the exemplary family that would take in the Messiah was Joseph, and this is the scene in which the protective figure of the patriarch enters the life of Jesus.

(Mt 1:24-25)

Jesus, portrayed as a young child, holds a dead or wounded dove as he speaks with his putative father. Joseph reaches out to take the bird while he listens to his son affectionately.

The scene takes place in Nazareth, home to the Holy Family, where Joseph has his carpentry shop.

This image closes the series of scenes about Jesus' earthly life in the Portal of Hope.

The Holy Family quickly flees from Israel and seeks refuge in Egypt. In a dream, an angel has warned Joseph that King Herod has given orders to kill his child.

Joseph is on foot; his expression reflects the huge responsibility that weighs upon him. Mary, with the baby Jesus in her arms, is riding on a donkey. The docile animal is being led by an angel.

A kneeling mother grasps the arm of an armed Roman legionnaire who intends to slaughter her child. The soldier lifts the child up in the air, out of the supplicant's reach. Two slain infants lie at the murderer's feet.

The ruthless order to kill all children under the age of two has been issued by Herod, who wants to prevent the King of the Jews from surviving and the prophecy from being fulfilled. The scene takes place in Bethlehem while the Holy Family is escaping into Egypt.