Gaudi's “La Sagrada Familia”
On our first day in Barcelona we ventured to the
magical land of basilica “Sagrada Familia”, the sacred or holy family, the
impossibly beautiful architectural feat of Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi was a passionate
Catholic with a wonderful sense of the natural. We approached from outside the
cathedral and saw the towering spire with the incongruous combination of stone—and
what looked to be porcelain crosses at the top of each spire. Turns out, the
porcelain was actually glass as explained by our Catalan guide—Josep.
A few minutes earlier we were approached by a
large, fleshy, but friendly looking man with a brightly colored umbrella held
about his bald head. Think Dom Deluise, the actor and comedian, if you’re an
American of my vintage. I couldn’t help but trust this cheerful man when he
explained we could get a 45 euro tour of La Sagrada—a bit more expensive than
the 18 euro entry fee, but we could get in immediately with our group and maybe
learn something in the process. I was decisive. I paid the 90 euros for Reed
and me. I don’t get to Barcelona every day and this was likely my only day in
close proximity to the world-renowned basilica, a mystical magical place as it
turns out, symphony of stone and light. Seizing the opportunity to get in
easily and quickly, the 10:15 AM tour, turned out to be one of my better
tourist moments.
The spires enchant from the outside, somehow more
graceful, flexible, thin and more kinetic than tall columns rising high into
the sky can normally achieve. I heard somebody say “it’s like a forest inside
and I could not imagine what they meant, but Gaudi makes you a believer (not
sure if pun is intended). His genius communicates, artist to viewer, as he
pulls you into his church. Josep pointed out openings at the top of the columns
and explained that by allowing airflow the spires had more room to move—a kind
of porous flexibility.
The magic of La Sagrada Familia continues as one
enters the basilica and looks upward. Gaudi convey nature inside the church and
does to by creating towering tree limbs, in stone columns, reaching to the top
of the building. Like trees, Gaudi’s interior columns have knobs where the
column changes direction slightly—the guide may have called them “knots.” Josep
also had a fleshy quality and a cheery personality. They look for that quality
of earthiness in the Sagrada Familia tour guides—to contrast to the light and
airiness of the surrounding. Makes a good combination. Josep held us in suspense,
saying he would soon explain how La Sagrada Familia brought out Gaudi’s
uniquely “true genius.”
Josep took us to the basement, to witness a visual
representation of Gaudi’s revelation for measuring the load-bearing properties
of the columns. we learned in the basement, near a glass display with a model
of the basilica. The diorama showed many ropes, represented by string, holding
what could be the weighted sandbags, like those used to raise and lower theater
curtains, hanging from the columns of the church. Gaudi’s “accidental vision”
enabled him to surmise the greatest load-bearing portions of the columns. He
used extremely strong materials at the crucial junctures and created a
cathedral that required no flying buttresses, a la Notre Dame, for support.
The cacophony and celebration of light from the
stained glass lining both sides of the basilica provides the other dimension of
dynamism. Reddish colors line the side of the church representing the sad,
passionate second half of the life of Jesus Christ. Blues and greens through
the other side, the portion of the building dedicated to Christ’s early
years—the side of the building Gaudi was able to see during his life time.
Apparently, Gaudi’s academic instructor handed him
his architecture diploma with the comment he was not sure if the degree was
being bestowed upon a “madman or a genius.” Turns out he was probably right in
both cases. Gaudi did not have an easy life. Wealthy patrons did provide
sufficient funds for a start to the 150 years La Sagrada Familia project. The early
donors sought fame and adulation by giving money to Gaudi’s project. Gaudi continued
the work to the end of his life, living in penury until his death in 1926. He
created a basilica with the power and dignity of a Middle Ages cathedral
through an improbable combination of “Gothic and Art Nouveau styles.”
(Wikipedia) The basilica was only 25% completed in his lifetime. Our entry fee
to the museum helps keep it moving and the anticipated finish date, 2026, marks
the 100-year anniversary of the death of Gaudi. Barcelona and the world
anticipate a glorious 2026 completion to the architectural experiment and
spiritual revelation from the mind of a genius.
Travel Day-- 6/15/17
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