|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
Sagrada Familia One of Gaudis greatest achievements, the Sagrada Familia is a breathtaking sight. Great towers and amazing sculptures make this magnificent monument of gothic architecture a gem on the Barcelona skyline. Also known as "The Church of the Holy Family" this amazing structure had begun its building in 1882 and is still being completed to this day. It was first started by the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1877. He had offered to draw the plans for free. On the festival of St. Joseph (March 19, 1882), the first stone was placed. Due to disagreements between Del Villar and the council, Gaudà officially took over construction on March 18, 1883. |
| The Towers Gaudi had no limit with the sky, he had thought up the idea to have four towers on each facade, 12 towers in total. He chose this amount to dedicate to the Apostles. Each tower had its significance. The tallest tower, standing at an amazing 170m, was positioned in the middle giving it the most importance. This was because it was dedicated to Jesus Christ. The main feature of this church are the four towers, representing the four Evangelists. These towers are hollow, with helicoidal stairways. Inside these towers are tubular bells placed as carillon. There are three types of bells. Ordinary (mi, sol, do), tubular (percussion), and another tubular (sound through injected air). Gaudi spent four years studying the sound of bells just to get the most perfect sound. |
 |
 |
Nativity Facade Also known as the Facade of Hope, this extrodinary
structure is adorned with many sculptures of almost 100 types of plants
and 100 species of animals on its archivolts. Upon
this facade there are three doors, one representing Faith, another Hope,
and the other Charity. On the column above the center door are all
the names of Christ's genealogy which represent Charity and
at the base is the serpent with the apple. On the door itself is the
culmination of the baby jesus, along with the ox and mule. Apart from
the doors the facade includes episodes of Jesus' childhood, the Holy
Trinity and the Immaculate Conception. The four towers of the Nativity
Facade are square at the base and become circular nearer to the tip.
These represent a cypress. The first tower was completed
on 1926.
|
Gaudis' Vision Antonio Gaudi had not lived long enough to see the completion of the Sagrada Familia. Though he wasn't there to tell his exact vision he did leave a very detailed model which showed his thoughts about form and symbolism. He also left drawings that showed the polychrome nature that the building will have. Because of the great detail and the expressiveness of christianity, this building can be seen as a Bible in stone. Many also feel that this can be considered Gaudi in stone because it shows a very clear idea of his methods of construction. He applied every structural solution he had known and things he had tested against the errors of previous ideas. Gaudi had learned many things from nature, of which he based this structure on an amazing feature, the forest. Leaning columns with much branching in the higher portions help to create this effect of a forest.
|
 |