(Google image)
Official name: Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Catalan)La Sagrada Família is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. It was designed by Antoni Gaudí. The project began in 1882, and it is now expected to be completed in 2026 on the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death. It's history is fascinating. It began when Josep Maria Bocabella wanted to build a temple to atone for the sins of Barcelona. It has never been funded by the Church or by the government - hence the term "expiatory" in the official name. That is a large part of why it has taken so long to complete. Even though Gaudí is credited as the architect, there have been many architects involved through the years. The entire building is an eclectic collection of styles and interesting oddities.
La Sagrada Família is the most visited monument in Spain with more than three million visitors each year. Needless to say, it gets very crowded. So we opted to purchase and early entry package that included an audio tour. That was a great idea, as we were able to enter at a designated time, to take our time wandering through the building and grounds, and to learn from the commentary on our audio devices.
The official web site is a great place to spend time learning about this amazing project. When completed, the church will have three main façades. The styles will reflect the time period of their construction.
We entered on the Nativity Façade side. It was constructed between 1894 and 1930, and was the first to be built. It depicts the Birth of Jesus in great detail.
Gaudí disliked straight lines and angles because they don't occur naturally. In fact, this whole building is full of symbols from nature. Here's the Tree of Life on the Nativity Façade. Eventually, there will be 18 spires.
The interior is full of natural symbolism. The main columns look like trees.
There is color and beautiful light everywhere.
The altar has a very funky crucifix.
Here's the view from the back of the main aisle.
A convenient mirror makes it possible to get a good view of the ceiling.
Our exit was on the Passion Façade side. It is very plain and simple compared to the ornate Nativity Façade. Construction began in 1954, and the towers were completed in 1976. The sculpting began in 1987 and is still underway.
One interesting feature is a magic square near Judas' betrayal. There are various legends about why the magic constant for this magic square is 33. I like the one that says it refers to Jesus' age when he was crucified.
Try adding the numbers in any row or column or any diagonal.
There are additional possibilities in this very special magic square. Try adding the numbers in red squares and the numbers in green squares in these examples.
One of the outbuildings on the property is the Escoles de la Sagrada Família. This school was built by Gaudí in 1909 to educate the children of the construction workers, although neighborhood children also attended.
(WikiCommons image)
No comments:
Post a Comment