The Sagrada Família left me speechless. I never studied Gaudí, although my undergrad major was art history. He was mentioned but not discussed, so I arrived at the basilica with no real idea what I was looking at. I knew that it had been begun in the late 1800s and was still under construction, but very little more than that. I also knew that it is a World Heritage site ( No.320) and I’ll visit any site on that list without knowing a thing about it. They never disappoint.
At first sight the exterior was a confusing jumble of towers, sculptures, scaffolding, and cranes:
The style of the sculptures changes as you move around the building, reflecting the different artists and architects who have worked on it over the hundred-odd years of its construction.
When we walked inside, the light struck me so profoundly I couldn’t really look at the building, only the way it captured and channeled light. The windows are not finished – some still have clear glass – and you can immediately see the change in the quality of light in the unfinished portions:
This is what you see when you walk in through the main door in the Nativity façade:
It’s a miracle I didn’t walk straight into another tourist, stumbling around with my eyes on the light pouring through the ceiling. When I finally was able to study the architecture, I was bewildered and amazed. It was like looking at an inscription in a foreign alphabet. Looking at hieroglyphs or runes. You know they mean something, you know there’s a logic to it, but what?
Fortunately, there is a small exhibit just off the entrance in the Nativity façade which translates the architecture, describing the mathematical underpinnings and the natural forms that inspired them. I can’t explain it – I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the hyperbolic paraboloid – but there’s some explanation on the basilica’s website if you’re curious. There also a museum/workshop in the basement below the entrance where you can see dozens of models used in constructing the church. Some are by Gaudí, others are still under construction, like the church itself. It’s included in the admission ticket, so don’t miss it!
There’s a fair amount of information about how the forms were constructed, which was fascinating, because many of them, like the twisted columns and honeycomb forms, seem almost alien.
If you know something about ordinary building techniques, or if you think about things like how bricks are laid, this place is going to disconcert and bewilder you. The Palau de la Musica was amazing for the craftsmanship and detail, but I never once wondered “How did they do that?” because the answer was pretty obviously patience and practice. At the Sagrada Familia, I kept blinking at the columns and trying to figure out how they could possibly have shaped them. (There’s a machine in the basement that demonstrates.)
Even the stained glass was cryptic. I kept looking for the figures and stories that I’m used to seeing in Catholic churches, but could only see shifting colors and abstract patterns. Beautiful, but meaningless. Later, one of my friends tried to show me the scenes of the Passion in those windows, but I could only vaguely see the shapes he pointed out. It was humbling.
I’m still not sure what I think of this building. Parts of it are stunningly beautiful. The play of light is exquisite. Other parts seemed, to my eyes, chaotic. All of it was somewhat bewildering. As I’ve worked through editing these photos, I’ve had a chance to study the building more, and reading through the UNESCO website I’ve started to get a sense of the construction history. Now I can glimpse the Gothic-Revival skeleton under the oldest part of the church, and the places where Gaudí’s work begins to grow outward from it…
And just today I found a video showing what the final form of the church will be, and seeing how much remains unbuilt I can accept the current bizarre mess on the exterior – it’s just a construction site, something I understand.
In short, there’s a lot to look at and even more to think about. If there’s a mathematician in your family, do not miss this!
And go on a sunny day, so the stained glass will glow like bonfires.
Mind = blown
I am left speechless & wanting to see & know more… Thanks for the amazing photos.
I could spend days there. And I would most certainly walk smack into others!
So glad you liked the photos – it’s a place you really have to see to believe.
Thanks for sharing this too. The reason I want to go back to Barcelona one day is to see the Sagrada Familia from the inside. As we were 150 people on the trip the guide showed us the church from the outside and said that there are huge lines to enter and so it was impossible for our group. Nobody in my group seemed very interested to go in so we missed it. I have to go back.AriadnefromGreece!
There was a line but it moved quickly. I imagine with 150 people it would have taken a long time, though! When you go back, you can buy tickets online ahead of time and skip the line. I have to go back, too, because it will change every year!
Jenn, your photos and comments are more effective than any of the Time Life or Abrams publications, which show only the busy outside. I’d like to be there on a quiet day, and sit and stare and think. Must put this on my list for before I hit 80.