The Sagrada Familia: Gaudi’s last work

Architecture on March 11, 2010 1:57 pm

When planning your trip to Barcelona, it is impossible to ignore the Sagrada Familia (‘Sacred Family’). This point of reference in Barcelona is present on the front page of nearly every guide book for the city. Once you are in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia can be seen everywhere: on postcards, in newspaper kiosks, in snow globes from souvenir shops, as cardboard build-it-yourself models, or, of course, in the flesh. This church is no hidden secret, but rather a must see in Barcelona.

We would like to give you an idea of its history and architecture, as well as offering you some practical advice for visiting the church. At the bottom of the article, you will find some important information such as opening times, prices and the official website. 

History

Although the Sagrada Familia is recognized as Antonio Gaudi’s masterpiece, he wasn’t the person responsible for placing the first stone on the 19th March 1882. This responsibility fell to the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano who was planning a smaller church than the one that eventually was erected. Once sufficient funding for its construction was collected, work began in 1882 under the supervision of Villar. Very shortly, a disagreement arose with donators, and responsibility for construction was passed over to Antonio Gaudí, who at that time was 31 years old.

The original idea was that the church, dedicated to the ’Sacred Family’, would be entirely financed by donations. When Gaudi received a large donation from an anonymous source, he decided to transform the old neo-gothic project into something more monumental and innovative as far as its shape and structure was concerned.

In 1914 Gaudi decided to dedicate himself exclusively to the Sagrada Familia project, even installing small living-quarters within the building, so that he was always on hand. Bizarrely, on the 7th of June 1926, on his way to the building, he was run over by a tram, eventually dying 3 days later. All of the city dressed in mourning and the Pope agreed for Gaudi to be interred in the unfinished crypt of the Sagrada Familia.

Gaudi had planned for a construction period of 200 years for the church. However, he did not leave a complete construction blueprint, as he wanted to count on the opinion of future generations.

After his death, several different architects continued work on the monument. Since that time, construction work has never been suspended, even during the difficult times of the Civil War when plaster models to scale, drawings and plans of the building were lost and destroyed.

Architecture

The Sagrada Familia comprises five main naves and three transverses, forming a Latinate cross. The five main naves have a total length of 90 meters and the transverses of 60 meters.

The themes covered by the three facades are: the birth of Christ, the Passion of Christ and the Glory. The first facade depicts the birth of Christ, by means of several ornamental details. The Passion facade looks simple and new, and although it contains fewer details, the statues are larger. The ’Glory’ facade will be the main facade, although construction upon it has not yet been completed.

When construction finishes, there will be 18 towers with a height of between 90 and 170 meters. These towers are dedicated to the apostles, the evangelists, Mary and Jesus Christ. The tower measuring 170 meters is intended to be the highest tower on a church in the world.

Work upon the Sagrada Familia is expected to be completed in 2025, financed exclusively by donations and entry fees.

Visits

Of course, you don’t need to wait until 2025 to visit this impressive building. I would recommend that you visit it as early in the morning as possible. The best bet is at 9 o’clock, when doors open, as queues tend to form very early.

The first thing you will see in the interior of the church is the huge scaffolding. This makes it difficult to take in the building full dimensions. You can also use an audio-guide, which, for €4 extra, will allow you to see many other details.

Upon looking upwards, you feel very small. The enormous pillars rise up like trees up to the rafters. These impressions are doubtlessly caused by the trunk like structures branching upwards towards the ceiling. This lends a very pleasant feeling of being enveloped in warm light when the sun shines through the stained-glass windows.

You can also visit the tower. For the modest price of €2.50, a lift will take you to the top. Going up by foot is prohibited but you are however allowed to descend by foot.

Before leaving the Sagrada Familia, you should visit its museum. Here you will find images from all stages of its construction, original designs from the early stages, models of the church and information regarding the architects who have participated and currently participate in the project.

Even after visiting hours are over, when everything is dark, Gaudi’s masterwork offers an impressive sight, when the burgeoning night means it is cast in spotlights. One rainy, very stormy night I was there and the Sagrada Familia offered a rather hair-raising sight.

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