Sagrada Familia

I went to see what is considered Gaudi’s masterpiece on Monday. The Sagrada Familia cathedral is probably THE symbol of Barcelona once again like the Statue of Liberty is for New York or the Liberty Bell is for Philadelphia.


The construction of the Sagrada Familia started during Gaudi’s lifetime and is still happening today, over 125 years later. Construction was originally all done with carved stones like other buildings that Gaudi has done. Now, though, they are still using stone but I believe they are also using some poured concrete and forms to finish it up.

As with Gaudi’s other projects, you find very few straight lines and a big influence from things you’d find in nature. For example, the internal columns in the church look like tree trunks. Here are the columns:


and here’s a photo from the museum that demonstrates the idea:


The church on the outside, to me, resembles something like cross between a giant sand castle and a gothic cathedral. This photo shows some details above one of the entrances. Once again, the photos just don’t do the work justice. I think you have to see it to appreciate it. I know I thought I did but really didn’t until I saw it.


The statues in some ways reminded me of something Picasso might do since they tend to be boxy or something like Picasso’s cubist works. I think this shot is a good example of what I’m talking about with the squarish-features of the statues:



In this photo you can see a bunch of the statues. It was raining really hard when I took these. Note the guy with the envelope on his head in the lower left side.


Since it’s still under construction, I’d love to see the inside when it’s done. Anyone want to go to Barcelona in 15 years or so when it’s supposed to be done?