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Published: September 22nd 2011
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Today my roommate and I visited La Sagrada Familia, one of Barcelona´s most iconic buildings. I´ve been wanting to visit La Sagrada Familia since the first day I arrived in Barcelona because it was one of the few destinations I knew about in the city prior to coming here. As of now, it has been the most fascinating place I have visited in Spain.
When we first arrived at the La Sagrada Familia site, we were in awe with the building´s architecture. We walked around the basilica for a while prior to the start of our guided tour. The basilica, designed by Gaudi, held our heads high as we looked at the statues, columns, and ceilings of the church. The site was amazing but it was not until the tour that Christian and I gained a better understanding and appreciation of the basilica.
The tour of the basilica was very helpful because our guide explained the different elements of the church to us. La Sagrada Familia began construction in 1882 by Gaudi and is still in the process of completion today. From 1882-1992, about 30% of the church was built. This seemed like a slow process to me: 110
years and only 30% of the building was complete! In 1992, the city of Barcelona hosted the Olympics. This changed the construction rate of the building because more tourists started visiting Barcelona after the Olympics. La Sagrada Familia benefited from this because it has been able to collect more revenue from tourists visiting the site. So, from 1992-today, another 30% of the church has been completed. The basilica is expected to finish construction in 2026, the 100-year anniversary of the death of Gaudi.
The tour started on the facade of the Passion of Christ. The entire wall of this side depicts the different events that occurred during the Passion: Judas betraying Jesus, the Last Supper, and many of the events of the Stations of the Cross. Our guide explained to us that Gaudi wanted the exterior facades of the church to be decorated with stories from the Bible so that people outside of the church could learn more about the stories from the Bible. The front doors on this side of the facade are also welcoming to those outside the church beause they are made to look like pages from the Bible. I´m really glad Christian and I decided
to take the guided tour of the basilica because we would not have picked up on this on our own.
La Sagrada Familia has ten pillars and will feature 18 pillars upon completion. Four of these pillars are for the four evangelits: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; 12 of them represent the 12 disciples; one will represent Mary; and the tallest one will represent Jesus. Once the pillar for Jesus is completed, La Sagrada Familia will be the tallest building in Barcelona. Gaudi named the basilica after the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The members of the Holy Family each have their own statue inside of the basilica.
The inside of the basilica is amazing to behold. The pillars and the designs on the ceiling are built to resemble a forest. The columns bend just like branches of a tree shoot off of the trunk. Once the basilica is completed, there will be windows of light on the ceiling, made to resemble light peeking through the trees of a forest. Another interesting aspect of the basilica is the positioning of the choir. In Gaudi´s time, the choir was positioned in the center of the church in front
Christian
Stylin' with the head piece of the altar. Apparently, Gaudi did not like this and built seating for the choir on the perimeter of the church so that music would play from all sides.
The crucifix of Jesus above the altar also contains astonishing elements. Gaudi was a realist and wanted the basilica to reflect his realist architecture. He wanted knees of Jesus to be bent on the cross, rather than straight. Our tour guide told us that he asked someone to tie their hands and feet to a cross, in the same way that Jesus was nailed to the cross. Gaudi saw that it would´ve been impossible for Jesus to have his knees straight while he was on the cross, and therefore wanted the crucifix in the basilica to feature a sculpture of Jesus with his knees bent. The fixture above the crucifix is also amusing because it contains more symoblism. There are grapes hanging on the fixture and sprouts of wheat on top of the fixture to symbolize the Last Supper: Jesus being the body and blood of life.
Last year, the basilica underwent a very important event: Pope Benedict XVI visited the church and consecrated it as a basilica. I´m
not sure what the requirements of a basilica are but it seemed odd to me that La Sagrada Familia was not a basilica until 2009! The pictures of the consecration in the museum below the basilica are amusing because they capture a mass being performed inside of the church.
The other facade of the basilica captures scenes from the Nativity of Jesus. The foremost picture on this facade pictures Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The three wise men, shepherds, and Angel Gabriel surround the Holy Family. This facade was completed by Gaudi by the time he died in 1926. It is also much older-looking than the Passion side of the basilica.
There is one more interesting facade of the basilica, the Our Father side. Unfortunately, Christian and I did not have the opportunity to visit this side of the basilica because it was closed due to construction. However, our tour guide informed us of the what this facade contains. The Our Father prayer is written in over 50 languages on this side of the basilica. This speaks to Gaudi´s desire for the basilica to be welcoming to everyone, even those from other cultures.
Our afternoon at La
Sagrada Familia was by far one of the best destinations I have visited in my study abroad experience. Hopefully, I´ll be able to return again after the basilica is completed in 2026 to see the finished product!
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Betty Heaton
non-member comment
I am at your parents for two days and I read your blogs. Thank You for doing this. You write beautifully and all the photos make me want to visit. Love and prayers, Gramma