Sagrada Familia
Barcelona
Nothing prepares you for the impact of Sagrada Familia. A tour de force of imagination, Antoni Gaudi's church has provoked endless controversy. The church was only partially complete when Gaudí died in 1926 and, as a work in progress, it offeres the unique chance to watch the eight wonder of the world in the making. During the last 80 years and at incalculable coast, sculptors and architects have added their own touches to gaudi's dream. Now financed by over a million visitors each year, it is estimated the project will be complete by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death.
The top ten features in Sagrada Familia are:
1.- Nativity Façade
Gaudi's love of nature is visible in this façade. Up to a hundred plant and animal species are sculpted into the stone, and the two main columns are supported by turtles.
2.- Passion Façade
Started in 1978 and completed in 2002, this façade by Josep Subirachs represents the pain and sacrifice of Jesus.
3.- Spiral Staircases
These helicoidal stone stairways, wich wind up the bell towers, look like snail shells. They allow access to the towers.
4.- Spires
For a close-up look at the gargolyes and mosaics tilling on the spires, scale the bell tower stairs, or ride up in a lift. The views are equally spectacular. Not for sufferers of vertigo.
5.- Hanging Model
This bizarre contraption in the crypt museum is testimony to Gaudi's ingenuity. Gaudi created this 3D construction -made of chains and small weighted sacks of sand- as the model for the archesand vaulted ceilings of the Colonia Güell crypt. No-one, in the history of architecture, had ever designed a building like this.
6.- Nave
The immense central body of the temple, now almost complete, is made up of leaning, tree-like columns with branches spreading out across the ceiling. Inspired by towering redwood trees, the overal effect is that of a stone forest.
7.- Rosedoor Cloister
In the only cloister to be finished by gaudi, the imagery is surprisingly modern. Thought to be inspired by the anarchist riots that began in 1909, the devil's temptation of man is represented by the sculpture of a serpent wound around a bomb-throwing rebel.
8.- Crypt Museum
Gaudi now lies in the crypt and his tomb is visible from the museum.
9.- Apse
Adorned with lizards, serpents and two gigantic snails, the apse was the first section of the temple to be completed by Gaudi.
10.- Unfinished Business
The church buzzes with activity: sculptors dangle from spires; stone masons carve huge slabs of stone; and cranes and scaffolding litter the site. Observing the construction in progress enables visitors to grasp the monumental scale of the project.