Unveiling the Genius of Antoni Gaudí: The Sagrada Familia’s Timeless Wonder

Every major city has a famous landmark that draws millions of visitors. Sagrada Familia is a remarkable destination that mesmerizes people upon visiting Barcelona, Spain. It is an architectural and engineering marvel that showcases a tactile organic form. 

Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudí. Its foundation was laid in 1882, and it has been under construction for 143 years. However, the death of Antoni Gaudí in 1926 temporarily halted construction. The masterpiece is expected to be completed in 2026, on the centennial of Gaudi’s death. In this write-up, we will explore this structure in more detail.

Brief History

A Catalan bookseller, Josep Maria Bocabella, Founder of Asociacion Espiritual de Devotos de San Jose (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph), had the vision of building the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. He visited the Vatican in 1872 and gained inspiration to build a church. 

The construction of the church started on 19th March 1882, at the St. Joseph’s festival. Architect Francisco de Paula del Villar took charge of this project, and he had the plan for a Gothic Revival church of a standard form. However, he retired from the project in 1883, resulting in Antoni Gaudí being onboarded as the architect. Gaudí dedicated his whole life to this project. He became obsessed with Sagrada Familia and abandoned all other work after 1910. 

Architecture and Design of Sagrada Familia

The basilica epitomizes Catalan Modernism, Noucentisme, Art Nouveau, and Spanish Late Gothic Architecture. Its unique design, which includes no right angles and fewer straight lines, makes it stand out. Furthermore, various architectural elements, such as a gigantic central tower with a tree trunk and spires, resemble palm trees.

Antoni Gaudí’s designs often feature flowers and trees. For this structure, he explored traditional Catalan art symbols like acorns and pine cones. It resembles biomimicry in architecture.

Structure of Sagrada Familia

Stone, concrete, wood, and glass are the construction materials used for this project, with concrete and steel being the primary ones. Sagrada Familia features a higher width and intricate architectural complexity, which resembles Europe’s numerous Gothic cathedrals. 

Numerous towers, an ambulatory, a double aisle, and seven apsidal chapels make its design comprehensive. Three portals surround this building, and all of them have a distinguished structure and decoration. Another unique feature of this cathedral is that it has a covered passage that goes through the narthex of its three portals, which is not the case in several Spanish churches.

Exteriors of Sagrada Familia

The Walls

The external walls of this masterpiece do not bear the weight of the structure. It happens as internal columns facilitate in transfer of the vaults’ pressure and weight to the floor. The overall weight of the wall is significantly reduced by multiple openings like ogives, rose windows, and large windows featured in the walls. 

Antoni Gaudí had the vision to implement leading-edge aesthetic and technical solutions, hence he employed hyperboloids. It empowered the sculptors to create complex details, which aided in removing the pediments on the walls and illustrating singing and musician angels. 

The Spires

Sagrada Familia’s architectural design encompasses eighteen spires. They depict Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Twelve Apostles, and the Four Evangelists in ascending order. The construction of eight spires is completed, four decorate the Passion facade and the other four adorn the Nativity facade. 

The central spire will have a mammoth cross as it is dedicated to Jesus Christ. On the four smaller spires, sculptures of a winged man (Saint Matthew), a bull (Saint Luke), a lion (Saint Mark), and an eagle (Saint John), which epitomize the evangelists. 

The Roofs

Central Hall’s elevated roofs feature a series of connected pyramids, which are linked to each other, and sizable windows with huge curved shapes. Lamp posts are mounted on the top of these structures, highlighting the references to the Holy Family.

The roof and vault have reached approximately 25 meters. Four levels organize them, and all of them are connected by small spiral staircases. While lateral naves’ flat roofs can have large windows in the central nave’s upper walls due to their design. It contributes to boosting the aesthetic appeal of the structure’s roofscape and also reinforces structural support. 

Interiors of Sagrada Familia

The Columns

Various materials have been used to craft the interior columns of Sagrada Familia. All of them showcase the toughness of different types of rocks. Construction experts have used a coarse volcanic rock, also known as red porphyry, to build the most potent and tallest columns. Basilica’s central five towers are strengthened by these columns. 

This structure relies on the darker and smaller columns, which are made of basalt, that form the columns’ outer row. They have sourced granite from Montjuic to craft the smallest columns. The selection of these materials has contributed to fulfilling structural purposes and providing a pleasing aesthetic look to the building. 

The Alter

The altar in the church contains an area behind it, which is an apse – a semicircular area. This half-circle area covers the crypt of Sagrada Familia. Antoni Gaudi – a prominent name in the field of architecture and the history of this church is buried in the crypt alongside many other people. Each side of the apse has stairs leading to the upper levels. Seven chapels are included in the apse, all of which have a unique purpose and design.

There is a throne on one side of the apse where Jesus Christ sits. Expansive stained glass windows surround this cross. Windows continue to illuminate the interiors throughout the day, and the light’s color also changes as the day progresses. Alter’s back has a set of stairs, which show the way to organ pipes that play solemn music.

The Chapels

An altar area and central ambulatory are encircled by seven chapels in the church’s upper semicircular portion. Stained glass windows amplify the decoration of the space and announce the arrival of the Messiah. It represents the same with seven different names. 

It is easy to form a Latin phrase “Ero Cras” using the initials of each name. This phrase means “Tomorrow I will arrive.”

The Naves

This church has five naves, and the central one is the highest among them. Transept is connected with it on one side, and it finishes in the choir with its chapels at the rear. An amazing set of stained glass windows faces the altar. 

Final Thoughts

Sagrada Familia rose to fame as Antoni Gaudi’s finest work in the later years of his career. This historical site was also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Basilica is poised to become the world’s tallest church after its completion in 2026. 

It offers inspiration to architects and engineers to this day and will continue to uplift their spirits to design gems that redefine the AEC industry. 

FAQs

Q 1: What technique is the Sagrada Familia built in?

Ans: Construction experts have followed the traditional Catalan construction process to build this structure. They have created a robust structure, weaving flat bricks with fast-setting mortar or 2-3 layers of overlapping tiles. A cutting-edge computer-controlled system is used to cut all the stones for this purpose.

Q 2: Is Gaudi a modernist architect?

Ans: Antoni Gaudi, who is considered the best representative of modernism, and other architects such as Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and Lluís Domènech i Montaner are the ones who have set new bars in Catalan modernism in architecture.

Q 3: What is the style of architecture in Barcelona?

Ans: Barcelona has a long history of artistic movements. This city has embraced and excelled at various architectural styles ranging from Roman, the Renaissance, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, modernism, and post-modernism. 

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