Sangrada Familia
Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series.
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I was dying to see some of Antoni Guadi’s creations so I spent the following day walking around the city seeking them out. Antoni Guadi, the pride of Spain was an eccentric architect inspired by nature and Catholicism who belonged to the Art Nouveau Movement - a style that inspired artists to turn everything from buildings to furniture into works of art.
Guadi’s taste in clothing did not match his taste in architecture and he dressed in the style of a homeless man. In fact, cab drivers were often reluctant to stop for him fearing he had no money to pay the fare. This is why Guadi often took the tram, that is, until June 7th 1926 when he was run over by one at the intersection of Carrer de Bailén and the Gran Vía. The taxi drivers refused to take a poor vagabond to the hospital, an act for which the municipal police later fined them. Since no one recognized Gaudi, he was taken to a hospital for the poor until his friends found him and tried to move him to a place to receive better medical treatment. Guadi refused saying, “I belong here with the poor”. He died three days later at the age of 74 and was mourned by half of Barcelona who dressed in black to give final homage to the man most had never met. My first find was Casa Batllό. With its rounded edges and themed rooms, the house looked like something out of a Dr. Sues novel. Its roof was the shape of a dragon with dresser drawer steps leading into a small rooftop room. Built in 1877 for a middle-class family, it is known by locals as the House of Bones because the exterior looks a bit like a skeleton. Next I visited his most famous work: La Sagrada Familia, a church in the heart of Barcelona. Gaudi was a devout Catholic and eventually dedicated all of his time to the creation of his masterpiece: Sangrada Familia (Temple of the holy family). He designed it to have 18 towers, 12 for the 12 apostles, 4 for the 4 evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus. Construction on this most unusual church started in 1882 and it is still under construction over 100 years later. Gaudi died before he was able to complete the church which he spent the last 43 years of his life creating. He is buried in its crypt. Gaudi was constantly changing his mind and making new blueprints and the only copy of the blueprints in existence was destroyed by the anarchists during the Franco invasion of Barcelona in 1938 making it difficult for architects to finish the building as Gaudi would have liked. They should hire a “psychitect". |
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The building, which is not supported by any government or official church funding, is expected to be completed in 2026, on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. In 2004, it was estimated that 2.26 million people visited the church making it one of the most popular attractions in Spain. Recently the Ministry of Public Works of Spain has proposed the construction of a high-speed train tunnel right under the principle façade of the temple. Architects worry that this may compromise the stability of the building and a campaign is being waged by the Sagrada Familia Preservation Society to re-route the tunnel.
When I got inside, the construction workers were busy at work and knee deep in plaster. Admission included a visit to the basement museum where a model of the finished product was on display as well as pictures depicting the history of construction. It would be interesting to go back to Barcelona in 2026 and see if they manage to complete it on time.
When I got inside, the construction workers were busy at work and knee deep in plaster. Admission included a visit to the basement museum where a model of the finished product was on display as well as pictures depicting the history of construction. It would be interesting to go back to Barcelona in 2026 and see if they manage to complete it on time.
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Where I Stayed... Hotel Comercio Escudellers, 15, 08002 Barcelona, Spain Ph: 93 318 74 20 |
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