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| Antony Gaudi 1878 aka "God's architect" |
Antoni Gaudi was born in Catalonia. His father was a coppersmith. Gaudi later served as an apprentice to a blacksmith. He graduated from the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture in 1878. When handing Gaudi his degree, director Elies Rogent said, "Hem donat un títol a un boig o a un geni, el temps ho dirà." [We have given this academic title either to a madman or a genius. Time will show.]
Time did show that he was a genius, some say the greatest architect who ever lived, and at least a century ahead of his time. His last and greatest work was The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Frankly, after living and traveling in Europe since last September, I had gotten tired of churches. That changed when we visited Sagrada Familia. I did not initially realize that the basilica is a work in progress. Construction of the church was initiated by Barcelona book shop owner Josep Maria Bocabella in 1882. Gaudi began his work on the church in 1883, one year into the project as an unknown 31-year-old architect. He would spend the remaining 42 years of his life becoming increasingly involved with the project until it became his full-time obsession for his last 14 years.
Gaudi lived on the site and after exhausting his own funds, begged on the streets for the money needed to continue his work. He knew that the church would not be finished in his lifetime. Therefore, he made elaborate plaster models so that future architects could comprehend the immense detail of his vision. About 15-25% of the project was completed at the time of Gaudi's death in 1926. It would not be until 2010 that the project was considered to be at its midpoint.
At age 73, Antoni Gaudi was struck by a tram. Mistaken for a vagrant, he received less than adequate medical care and died a few days later. He was beloved by the people of Barcelona who attended his funeral in huge numbers to honor him. He is buried in the crypt of the church along with Josep Maria Bocabella.
The most significant setback to the project occurred during the Spanish Civil War when in 1936 the church was set fire by anarchists. Gaudi's models were smashed and documents were burned. Much later, the fragments were painstakingly gathered and reconstructed with the aid of computer software originally intended for modeling and designing aircraft. The reconstructed models served as the only link to Gaudi's vision of the completed church. Today, the inside of the church is mostly finished, but the exterior remains a construction site. Completion is expected about 2026.
Gaudi was a naturalist and felt that humans were closest to God in the forest. The branching columns in the nave reflect this.
The design of the Sagrada Familia can be divided into the following:
- The Apse
- The three façades
- The Towers
The Apse is an architectural feature consisting of a hemisphere or semi-dome at the east end of a church over the altar.
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| Apse of Segrada Familia |
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| The high altar and baldachin were designed by Gaudi in the Art Nouveau style |
The Nativity Façade
The Nativity Façade celebrates the birth of Jesus. It is also referred to as the façade of Life, Joy, or Christmas.
Completed in 1905, Gaudi poured his fantastical ideas into this façade. He included shapes from nature, rounded rocks reminiscent of the Montserrat massif, as well as human figures and plants. The three doors represent Hope, Faith, and Charity.
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| Jesus the Carpenter |
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| Jesus' Column, completed by sculptor Jaume Busquets in 1958 |
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| Angel musicians from Charity portico |
The Passion Façade
The Passion Façade represents the passion of Jesus; his pain, sacrifice, and death. It is a more contemporary work (1987-2000) by Catalan sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs. It remains controversial because it is stark and grim. It is all about suffering. The façade faces west, receiving the darkness and shadows of the setting sun.
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| Column of Jesus' Solitude |
Close up of Column of Jesus' Solitude
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| Last Supper |
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| Jesus, Last Supper |
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| Cryptogram
Subirachs' numbers all add up to 33
The age of Jesus' death
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The Glory Façade
The Glory Façade (under construction) will face south in the full light of the sun. It will be the main façade, and the entrance to the church when it is completed. The plan for the façade follows Gaudi's plan, even though by necessity, it will be the last façade built.
The basilica is a book in stone meant to be read like a medieval cathedral. The thousands of sculptures and designs in the church tell the story of the Catholic faith.
floor ceiling floor
Panoramic view
Spiral staircase
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| The huge Pipe Organ |
The Towers
The exterior towers are still under construction. Enjoy this video of the simulated completion of The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia occurring over the next 10-12 years (Thank you Rodney).
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