Tour de Gaudí

10 Dec 2011

The Tour de Gaudí continued today with a visit to Sagrada Familia!

Sagrada Familia is Gaudí's masterpiece--a grand, modern cathedral. However, it's still incomplete. There's a reason why most cathedrals have two different styles--Baroque and Gothic. It just takes a lot of time to construct a cathedral!

Gaudí began working on the cathedral in 1883. Work continued on the cathedral even after Gaudí's death in 1926 (in a tram accident). However, the Spanish Civil War caused some interruptions in the cathedral's construction. It's anticipated that it will be complete in 2030.

The outside of the cathedral is basically divided in three. The east side features the Nativity. The west focuses on the Passion of Jesus. Finally, the south centers on the Glory.

 The Nativity side of the cathedral focuses on life. It includes scenes like: Joseph with Jesus, Mary and Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus, the visit of the Three Kings, Jesus in the Temple. The style is more reminiscent of traditional cathedrals.

Instead of traditional Gothic gargoyles, Gaudí used turtles and lizards. The turtles were meant to be symbols of time.

The Passion facade has a completely different style. It's all hard edges with little adornment. This side has scenes such as: the Crucifixion, the betrayal of Judas, the flogging of Jesus, the walk to Calvary, Peter denies Jesus three times, the Last Supper, etc.

The Glory facade has yet to be finished. Work on that facade was begun in 2002.

The inside of the cathedral is just as beautiful as its exterior. Gaudí designed it with curved windows so that the most light possible could be distributed inside.

Next, we went up to one of the spires of the cathedral. There are 18 spires in total. They are meant to represent the 12 Apostles, the 4 writers of the Gospel, Mary and Jesus.


















Next, we decided to go up to Montejuic to check out the gardens, the castle, and the view from above!

Later, we explored Barcelona's other cathedrals. However, on our way to Barcelona's Cathedral, we stumbled across a beautiful small church called Sants Just i Pastor. There were virtually no tourists in this cathedral--which was surprising because it's probably one of the most beautiful churches I've visited.

It was ornate in the way that all cathedrals are, but it was much more subdued. The lights were low. There was choir music in the background. The chapels were incredible--albeit a bit run down. However, that's what made it so beautiful.

Most importantly, it was quiet. While Sagrada Familia is gorgeous, it's a tourist spectacle! There is no quiet while the tourists talk and take photos. When I visit a holy place (whether it be a church, mosque, synagogue, etc), I want to feel the power of that place and understand the connection that the people feel with their Higher Being. It's hard to feel that when there are distractions and you see people going through the motions of visiting the "tourist site."

Then, we made a quick visit to the Basílica de Santa María del Mar. I was excited to see this basilica because it plays a prominent role in a book I'm reading called Catedral del mar by Ildefonso Falcones. The construction of the basilica serves as a back drop for the story.

As we were returning to the hostel, we passed by the city's belén. However, since this belén is in the region of Catalunya, it has a special feature called a caga tío (a pooping man). Somewhere in every belén in Catalunya there is a caga tío.