“You cannot understand the Sagrada Familia without understanding Gaudí’s faith”, these are the words that could contain the secret of the fascination aroused by contemplating the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudí’s magnum opus, the “architect of god”, a fascination that goes beyond reason. It has become an indisputable symbol of Barcelona and Catalonia in general, it is visited, either for religious reasons or for cultural or artistic reasons, by more than four million tourists a year. As we indicated in the title of this article, it is, without a doubt, one of the monuments that must be visited at least once in a lifetime.
This work, the culmination of modernism, arises from a fusion between technique, art and faith to respond to one of the great needs of the human being: the search for beauty, expressed on this occasion by the master Gaudí in a majestic construction that invites you to contemplate it, stop at every detail and discover its history.
Its architecture is full of symbolism
The construction of this temple, conceived to touch the sky, began in 1882 with a neogothic style at the hands of Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano, but a year later Gaudí took on the project and endowed it with an innovative design that would make it one of the most important emblems of modernism. Although the Catalan master was only able to see one of the eighteen towers built that he designed -twelve bell towers and six domes-, since he died in 1926, his dream is gradually becoming a reality thanks to visits and donations, since it is a sacrificial temple. One of the most significant curiosities of this monument is that each of the mentioned towers is dedicated to characters from the Bible and their height depends on their hierarchy: the 12 towers would be for the apostles, 4 domes for the evangelists, one dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the highest of all Jesus Christ, who will be topped by a cross. When its construction is finished, it will be the tallest church in the world and the tallest building in Barcelona.
It’s worth stopping at the towers, because it is impressive to see how they rise, so much so that it seems that they mix with the clouds high in the sky, leaving the viewer with an indelible memory. The eight completed, four on the Nativity Facade —the Nativity Facade, as well as the crypt of the Expiatory Temple were declared a World Heritage Site in 2005— and four on the Passion Facade, correspond to those dedicated to the apostles , and two of them, named after the Nativity and Passion towers, can be visited. The Tower of the Nativity, which celebrates the birth of Christ, was the only one built under the supervision of Antoni Gaudí himself, so when you climb it you will be walking through the original work of the architect; It and that of the Passion, which represents the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, can be taken up by elevator, although to go down you will have to do so by winding spiral stairs. Going up to them is essential on a visit to the Sagrada Familia, not only for the experience that it is in itself, but also to admire the impressive views of Barcelona with which it delights visitors.
Special mention deserve their facades. It has three and represent the phases of the life of Jesus: Birth, Passion and Glory, the latter still under construction. The first of them, the only one built during Gaudí’s lifetime, is located in front of the Plaza de Gaudí and is divided into three gates; Of her stands out a sculptural set dedicated to the theological virtues: hope, faith and charity. These porticoes are separated by two large columns, consecrated to José and María, whose bases are supported by the shells of two turtles, one from land and the other from the sea, symbolizing the inalterability of time. As for the Facade of the Passion, located in front of the Plaza de la Sagrada Familia, it should be noted that it has a more modern style, and in it the sculpture of Jesus and the magic painting stand out, whose magic constant is 33, the age of death of Jesus Christ. Given the symbolic complexity and all the details that these architectural elements have, it is advisable to visit it with guides specialized in Gaudí’s architecture, such as those from My Top Tourwho explain in detail the most important and outstanding of this monument, which is worth knowing in depth.
The interior, a visual spectacle that shrinks the heart
If the exterior leaves the viewer speechless with its majesty and the beauty of its facades, exactly the same happens with the interior. With the aim of imitating nature, Gaudí designed a temple with five naves without a single straight line and with columns that rise as if they were trees in the middle of a large forest; the longest and thickest ones that support the five central towers are made of red porphyry, a very hard volcanic rock, and the smaller and darker ones are made of basalt, while those that support the outer columns of the basilica are made of granite and let in the light. Gaudí gives these elements a special symbolism: the four pillars of the transept are dedicated to the evangelists, while the columns correspond to the twelve apostles, the four Catalan bishoprics and the fifteen Spanish cities with archdioceses and the five continents. In these impressive columns, Gaudí once again shows his genius, since it synthesizes the three classic models —the smooth, the Greek and the Solomonic— in what would be known as double-turn columns, which, with a star-shaped base and a helical ascent, symbolize the relationship between heaven and earth. Earth.
One of the most moving things, beyond the architectural complexity of this monumental work, is how the sunlight enters through the stained glass windows and paints the interior of the temple with a wonderful symphony of colors that create an incredible visual spectacle, coming to move all those who contemplate it.
At this point, we reiterate that the Sagrada Familia is one of those must-see monuments, since it is symbol of modernity, an icon of architecture and a space full of spirituality that moves whether or not you are a believer. For all this, that is to say, for the complexity that its walls keep and the captivating nature of its iconography —something of which it is only possible to give a few brushstrokes in an article, such is the greatness of this temple— it is advisable, as we have already indicated, If you want to discover all the secrets and nooks and crannies of this priceless jewel, get to know it on a guided tour of specialized guides in this majestic work, such as those already mentioned from My Top Tourwho thanks to their knowledge and experience manage to show the most essential of the Sagrada Familia: its soul.