Page 112 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
110 EUROPE

Europe's most unconventional church, the T emple E xpiatori
de Ia Sagrada Famflia is an emblem of a city that likes to think
FRAM<l
of itself as individualistic. Crammed with symbolism inspired
SAGRAOA FAMiliA. by nature, and striving for originality, it is Antoni Gaudf's
BARCElONA
greatest work. In 1883, a year after building had begun on a
eMadrtd
SPAIN Neo-Gothic church on the site (Gothic Style, see p.54 ), the task
of completing it was given to Gaudf, who changed everything,
lti/EDITr RIIANEAN
S£A extemporizing as he went along. It became his life's work; he Stained-glass window
ATlANTIC lived like a recluse on the site for 16 years and was buried in
OCEAN ALGERIA
the crypt. On his death, only one tow er on the Nativity Fa<;ade
had been completed, but w ork continued after the Spanish
MODERNISME
Toward the end o f the 19th century, a new Civil War and several more have since been finished to his
style of art and archrtecture, a variant of Art plans. Work continues today, financed by public subscription.
Nouveau, was born in Barcelona. Modernisme
became a means of expression for Catalan
nationalism and attempted to reestablish a THE FINISHED CHURCH ~Bell towers
I ocal identity that had wa ned under the rule of Gaudi's initial ambitions have been scaled
Castilian Madrid. The style is cha racterized by down over the years, but the design tor the
curved lines and a profus ive use of colored tiles <Ompletion of the building remains Impressive.
Still to come is the central tower, which will be
and tiled mosaics. It counted J osep P ui g i encircled by four large towers representing the Tower with
Cadafalch, Llufs Dome nech i Montaner and, Evangelists. F our towers on the G lory (south) elevator
above all, Anton Gaudi among rts major Fa~ade will match the existing four on the
exponents; the style's radical appearance is one Passion (west) and Nativity (east) fa~des. A.n
ambulatory- like
of the prinapal attracbons of Barcelona tod"f. an ins ide-out cloister- Apse
will run around the This was the first part
ANTONI GAUD( outside of the building. of the church to be
completed. Stairs lead
Born into a family of artisans, Antoni Gaudi dcmn from here to
(1852- 1926) studred at Barcelona's School of the crypt belcm.
Architecture. lnsprred by a natronalistrc search
for a romantic medreval past, hrs work was
supremely original Hrs most celebrated building
is the Sagrada F amilia, to which he devoted his
I ife from 1883. He gave a ll hr s mone y to the Altar Canopy -----.z'"'lll~---t
project and o ften went from house to house Des i gned by G audi,
begging for more, until his death a fe w days this is still waiting
for the altar.
after being run over by a tram, G audi designed,
or collaborated on designs , for almost every
known medium. He combined bare , un-
decorated materials-wood, rough-he wn
stone, rubble, and brickwork- with meticulous
craftwork in wrought iron and stained glass.

SYMBOLISM
G audi united nature and religr on in his symbolic THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
vision of the Sagrada Famflla. The church has The church was attacked in 1936,
three monumental fa~ades The east front during the Spanis h Civil War (1936-
(Nativity F~de) rs drrected toward the nsmg 39). The crypt and Gaudf's workshq:>
Sun and dedicated to the brth of Christ Flora were damaged by fire. T he charred
and fauna, sprrng and summer symbols, frurts, remains of site models and drawings
brrds, and flowers ad om thrs fa~ade. The west are on display in the Crypt Museum Entran<e to
front (,Passion f a!;<lde) represents Chrrst' s C rypt Museum
Passion and death, wth columns eenly
reminiscent of bones combined wrth a lack of
decoration to reflect the loss that death brings.
KEY DATES
The Glory Fa<;ade to the south has not yet been
1882 1884 1893 1954
constructed, but is projected to be the largest ~ Passion Fa~ de
of all Gaudi intended the interior of the church Work begins Gaudi takes 011er as Gaud I begins the Work resumes This bleak fao;ade was completed in the
to evoke the idea of a forest (nave). Columns on a church in the lead architect Natlv~y Fa;ade, following the Civil late 1980s by artist J osep Maria S ubirachs.
a traditional and imrnedlateo/ which reflects his \Mlr and continues A controversial work, its sculpted figures,
are "planted" symbolically like tree trunks, and
Neo-Gothic style. changes the project. l011e of nature. to this day. which represent Jesus' pain and sacrifice,
dappled light filters in through s kylights. are often angular and s inister.