The Sagrada Familia: Gaudi’s Masterpiece in Barcelona

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, one of the most remarkable churches in the world, reflects the eccentric genius of architect Antoni Gaudí.

 

Under construction since 1882, the Sagrada Familia sits in the heart of the Spanish city of Barcelona. Its intricate design, profound symbolism, and ongoing construction saga have captured the imagination of the world.

The architect most responsible for the Sagrada Familia is Antoni Gaudí, who grew up about 70 miles away from Barcelona in the city of Reus. The son of a coppersmith, he was often sickly as a child and spent a lot of time outside, keenly observing nature. In 1870 he moved to Barcelona to study architecture, where he was a brilliant but inconsistent student.

When he graduated from architectural school in 1878, the school’s director said, “We have given this degree to either a madman or a genius. Only time will tell.”

Gaudí designed other buildings than the Sagrada Familia, but it was the church that became his lifework. For 43 years he labored on its construction, creating a building filled with organic forms inspired by nature. Named for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the church was revolutionary yet deeply rooted in Catholic tradition. When criticized about the slow pace of its construction, Gaudí would remind people that his boss has great patience.

By the time Gaudí died in 1926 at the age of 73, only parts of the church were completed, but he left models and plans that subsequent architects would follow.

The survival of the basilica is almost miraculous. Severely damaged in the Spanish Civil War, it also endured the tumult of World Wars I and II and often-bleak economic conditions. Funded entirely by donations and entrance fees, it’s slowly risen, its dramatic towers rising above the skyline of Barcelona. Today the Sagrada Familia is one of the most visited landmarks in Spain.

Its style is not easily characterized. It’s both modernist and traditional, Gothic and Art Nouveau, whimsical and profound, devoutly Catholic and yet resonant with a universal spirituality. It reverses the standard plan of a church in that its statues are almost all on the outside. The richly ornamented Nativity Facade on its eastern side depicts the birth of Jesus and the joy and beauty of nature. On the opposite side, the Passion Facade is spare and angular, a somber meditation upon the crucifixion of Christ.

The building has seventeen towers: twelve for the apostles, four for the gospel evangelists, and one for the Virgin Mary. Its walls feature a menagerie of creatures that include carved snakes, turtles, insects, chickens, and snails, while huge pieces of fruit adorn the tops of some of its spires.

A Church Like No Other

As I stepped inside the Sagrada Familia, I felt a literal sense of shock. Even crowded with people and tour groups, even though I’d already seen many pictures of the interior, its visual impact was overwhelming.

My eyes darted from one view to the next, trying to take it all in. True to its original plan as a neo-Gothic church, the Sagrada Familia is laid out in the shape of a cross.

But Gaudí broke that pattern in numerous ways, from removing the flying buttresses to re-envisaging the interior columns as a forest of trees. The thirty-six columns have spreading limbs that branch at the top, with skylights above that give the effect of light filtering through leaves.

Each column has symbolic meaning, including four that represent the gospel evangelists of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and twelve named for the apostles. Some are covered in red granite porphyry, and others in black basalt, gray granite, and yellowish sandstone. The overall effect is dazzling, especially when combined with the intricate geometric patterns that fill the ceiling, whose fractal designs seem like a portal to a heavenly realm.

The main altar continues Gaudí’s blending of traditional and unconventional elements. A common element in historic basilicas is a covering over the altar known as a baldachin, the most famous being the immense bronze and gilded one designed by Bernini in St. Peter’s. In the Sagrada Familia, the baldachin is a gold-and-ochre, umbrella-like canopy suspended from the ceiling, whose edges have grapes and vines representing the wine of the Eucharist. Below it hangs a terra cotta crucifix with a modernist-style figure of Christ, while a golden mosaic in the dome above depicts a triangle within a circle, a symbolic representation of the Trinity surrounding the cosmos.

Of all the extraordinary features inside the Sagrada Familia, I was most taken by its dreamlike—one might almost say hallucinogenic—use of light. The church has huge walls of stained glass that create a kaleidoscope of hues throughout the interior as the sun shifts position. On the Nativity side the colors of the windows are primarily green and blue; on the Passion side the hues are bolder, with oranges and reds predominating.

In Gaudí’s own words: “The Temple of the Sagrada Familia will be bright. Religious emotion will not come from the fear of shadows only just penetrated by a ray of light, but will be born from the bright mystery of the harmony of light, from the sense of wellbeing that comes from sunlight filtering through a tree with the thousands of nuances of its leaves. It will, thus, be the Temple of harmonious light.”

God’s Architect

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I headed downstairs to tour a museum whose exhibits trace the Sagrada Familia’s origins and construction methods. Antoni Gaudí is prominently featured, of course, but I also learned about the contributions of other architects and artists who have worked on the church. I peered with interest into a window overlooking its design studio, where 3-D printers and computer terminals figure prominently. While Gaudí was constantly experimenting with plaster models, his modern-day successors work with the latest in computer-aided design.

In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI granted the building the status of a minor basilica, which is a designation given to churches of exceptional significance (while the Sagrada Familia is often confused with a cathedral, that term is reserved for a church that is the seat of a bishop).

Overshadowed by construction cranes and teeming with visitors, it stands today as the vibrant heart of Barcelona. Still to be finished are the tallest tower, which will be dedicated to Jesus Christ, and an entrance that will be called the Glory Facade.

In the meantime, Antoni Gaudí is on his way to becoming a saint, a long and complicated process led by Vatican officials. Though he wasn’t a practicing Catholic in his early years, during the course of his life—especially once he devoted himself to the Sagrada Familia—he began to follow an increasingly ascetic and prayerful lifestyle. During his lifetime, he was known as “God’s architect.”

Gaudí hoped that when people contemplated the Sagrada Familia, they would find a path to spiritual truth. His church, which he designed as a kind of Bible in stone, has been described as his attempt to build a New Jerusalem.

Gaudí died after being hit by a streetcar on his way home after a day of work. Thin and disheveled, he was mistaken for a street person and didn’t receive adequate medical care. It was only later that people realized who he was, but by then it was too late. His funeral was held on the following Saturday.

In the words of his friend Lluis Carreras: “He had left [the church] on Monday all alone. He returned on Saturday, with the whole city by his side.”

People still flock to the Sagrada Familia, marveling at what Gaudí and God created.

 

If You Go: If possible, purchase your ticket in advance through the Sagrada Familia ticket page. For general information, see the Sagrada Familia and the Tourist Office of Spain.

 

 

Lori Erickson is one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys. She’s the author of books that include Holy Rover, Near the Exit, The Soul of the Family Tree, and Every Step Is Home. Her website Spiritual Travels features holy sites around the world.

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