Sagrada Familia - Gaudi on Nature and the New Testament

A visit to the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí’s lifework, is like a lesson in geometry, nature and the New Testament.

The temple is one of the most visited attractions in Barcelona and received 2.4 million visitors in 2005, the same year it was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Barcelona is Gaudí’s art palette for his most monumental designs, but the Sagrada Família is by far the beauty mark of the city’s architecture scene. The Catalonian architect spent the majority of his sickly childhood observing the silent rules of nature. A rulebook, “which is always open and which we should make an effort to read, is that of nature,” Guadi said. Patterns drawn from shell formations, flowers and gastropods, are in constant play in each and every one of his works.

The Sagrada Família consumed Gaudí’s life until his death in 1926. The temple, which began in 1882, is still under construction and slated for completion in the next 30 years, according to the Construction Board of La Sagrada Família Foundation.

The exterior of the temple is like a sculpture storybook of the Bible, with depictions of Christ’s birth, childhood and crucifixion. The western entrance, known as the Passion Façade, greets the gawking tourist with tortuous scenes of Christ’s crucifixion. The scene includes sharp, angular interpretations of Gaudi’s original designs by atheist sculptor, Josep Maria Subirachs. To the left of the crucifixion is a scene of the Last Supper followed by a depiction of the Garden of Gethsemane. In both sides, a blocky sculpture of Gaudí sits, taking notes over the Biblical scenes.

The Nativity Façade on the east depicts the birth of Christ, Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt and scenes of Jesus’ childhood. Overhead, 18 looming medieval-looking towers represent the 12 disciples, four apostles, the Virgin and Christ himself.

Hexagonal pillars inside create vaulting ceilings Gaudí designed to resemble a canopy-like forest ceiling. Unfortunately, besides the ceiling and stained glass windows, the inside of the church is more of a lesson in scaffolding than Gaudí. Tarps, plaster molds and machinery fill the belly of the temple like animals in Noah’s Ark.

The natural spirit of earthen elements is drafted into everything from the vaulted ceilings to spiraling staircases that resemble snail shells. Fruit sculptures plastered with colorful mosaic tiles are perched atop temple towers to represent the fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, the sides of the facades, littered with sculptures of snakes and lizards, illustrate how close evil still lurks.

The work is far from finished, with progress sketchy because of the structure’s questionable foundation. Nonetheless, the temple is to remain one of the most beautiful symbols of Christianity in Barcelona.

-Published 10/1/08