Where do I even begin with this unbelievable cultural experience? To put it bluntly, Antoni Gaudí was a genius…regardless of what you think of his architectural designs, you must have some respect for this man. To be able to create something like La Sagrada Familia and everything else that he completed for this city is a strong testament to his creative genius. However, out of every building that he created, La Sagrada Familia (LSF) is his true masterpiece. Standing in the presence of such a domineering structure truly makes you feel/experience the messages that Gaudí was trying to send with this holy temple/cathedral.
In many ways, Gaudí believed that society was crumbling/rotting at the core and salvation was only possible through Catholicism. This devout Catholic truly believed that he had been chosen by God to help save society and bring stability back to the people of Barcelona. It must not be forgotten that Gaudí was alive during the turn of the 20th century and into the mid 1920s – a period which was plagued with social revolutions and numerous challenges to religious doctrine. Before I go too deep into the history of LSF, it is just important to recognize that Gaudí attempted to save society through his works of art. He highlighted just about all of his buildings with the infamous “four armed cross” in order to show that God was everywhere; however, LSF was meant to be the true “salvation of society.” Gaudí truly believed that the creation of this structure would revitalize the Catholic doctrine of Barcelona and would instill hope/pride back into the minds of these struggling people – a clearly ambitious goal which is arguably a bit difficult to completely comprehend.
Regardless, this man was completely obsessed with details and wanted every aspect of this temple to have some meaning behind it…another important thing to stress is the fact that Gaudí wanted to utilize the “lessons” that nature provided for him in an effort to highlight the true beauty of God and Catholicism. It is for this reason that the nativity façade looks like a forest and the inside of the temple resembles a tree canopy. Further detail can be witnessed by the fact that the staircases (four towers that people are able to walk down) are actually amplifiers for LSF’s bells/future choir. Gaudí designed the windows/slits in these towers not so people could get a good view of the city as they descended from the top; rather, they were meant to project the “religious sound/music” coming from the church (he wanted people from all around to hear God’s voice).
I could ramble on for days about the details/intricacies of this temple but I can sum them all up into a single point: Gaudí wanted his masterpiece to send a message. The message was loud and clear – salvation/happiness/change can be achieve through the Catholic church. Simply standing in front of this structure makes you wonder “what I would be capable of achieving through Catholicism? Gaudí dedicated his entire life to the Catholic doctrine and built this structure to symbolize that devotion. What am I capable of doing if I even dedicate a fraction of my life to the same faith?” This is the message that Gaudí wanted the people to perpetually ask themselves as they walked by this domineering edifice.
There are countless cathedrals across the globe but there is only one La Sagrada Familia. Furthermore, there is only one Antoni Gaudí who will ever walk this earth…although not originally from Barcelona (originally from Tarragona in southern Catalonia), he spent the majority of his life here. His presence/artwork is innately Catalan and helps to define Barcelona. As such, this trip to his true masterpiece was an eye opening experience which helped inspire me to write a twenty page paper on this man and his genius…needless to say, he is one of the most fascinating men that I have studied in my life.
In many ways, Gaudí believed that society was crumbling/rotting at the core and salvation was only possible through Catholicism. This devout Catholic truly believed that he had been chosen by God to help save society and bring stability back to the people of Barcelona. It must not be forgotten that Gaudí was alive during the turn of the 20th century and into the mid 1920s – a period which was plagued with social revolutions and numerous challenges to religious doctrine. Before I go too deep into the history of LSF, it is just important to recognize that Gaudí attempted to save society through his works of art. He highlighted just about all of his buildings with the infamous “four armed cross” in order to show that God was everywhere; however, LSF was meant to be the true “salvation of society.” Gaudí truly believed that the creation of this structure would revitalize the Catholic doctrine of Barcelona and would instill hope/pride back into the minds of these struggling people – a clearly ambitious goal which is arguably a bit difficult to completely comprehend.
Regardless, this man was completely obsessed with details and wanted every aspect of this temple to have some meaning behind it…another important thing to stress is the fact that Gaudí wanted to utilize the “lessons” that nature provided for him in an effort to highlight the true beauty of God and Catholicism. It is for this reason that the nativity façade looks like a forest and the inside of the temple resembles a tree canopy. Further detail can be witnessed by the fact that the staircases (four towers that people are able to walk down) are actually amplifiers for LSF’s bells/future choir. Gaudí designed the windows/slits in these towers not so people could get a good view of the city as they descended from the top; rather, they were meant to project the “religious sound/music” coming from the church (he wanted people from all around to hear God’s voice).
I could ramble on for days about the details/intricacies of this temple but I can sum them all up into a single point: Gaudí wanted his masterpiece to send a message. The message was loud and clear – salvation/happiness/change can be achieve through the Catholic church. Simply standing in front of this structure makes you wonder “what I would be capable of achieving through Catholicism? Gaudí dedicated his entire life to the Catholic doctrine and built this structure to symbolize that devotion. What am I capable of doing if I even dedicate a fraction of my life to the same faith?” This is the message that Gaudí wanted the people to perpetually ask themselves as they walked by this domineering edifice.
There are countless cathedrals across the globe but there is only one La Sagrada Familia. Furthermore, there is only one Antoni Gaudí who will ever walk this earth…although not originally from Barcelona (originally from Tarragona in southern Catalonia), he spent the majority of his life here. His presence/artwork is innately Catalan and helps to define Barcelona. As such, this trip to his true masterpiece was an eye opening experience which helped inspire me to write a twenty page paper on this man and his genius…needless to say, he is one of the most fascinating men that I have studied in my life.
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