Anna Maria Barcelona
Jun 11th, 2014 | 12:24 PM
#21
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2004
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Tuesday
Start by watching this awe inspiring video to understand what Sagrada Familia looks like today and how different it will look upon completion. http://youtu.be/RcDmloG3tXU
WOW! Right?
I purchased Sagrada Familia entry tickets online in advance of our trip in order to skip the ticket line. When purchasing online, one must select a date and a 15 minute time frame in which to enter the church and if entry is not made within that time frame, tickets won’t be honored according to the website. It appears that a maximum of 280 online tickets are available for any given window of time.
We chose the admission that includes both the audio guide and a visit up the Nativity Tower which also requires that one select a time frame for visiting. I found the audioguide to be very informative in deciphering Gaudi's intentions as I observed both the interior and exterior of the church. We had our choice of going up the Nativity or Passion Towers and I chose the Nativity Tower because it has a little bridge walkway at the top which I thought might make viewing more interesting. I believe the Passion Tower is taller. Both tower visits are by elevator up. The Nativity Tower requires a walk down and descending the Passion Tower can be by walking or by elevator. http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0
We were turned away from entry at Sagrada Familia when we arrived fifteen minutes early so we walked around the church once then entered the grounds, picked up audio guides and went inside. The interior is massive and starkly beautiful. The columns holding up the vaulted ceiling look like a forest of trees and the ceiling has a leafy design. I read somewhere that there is room for 15,000 congregants and the choir loft, which has a hyperbolic shaped ceiling to force sound down to the congregation, can hold 1500.
On the exterior of the church, the Nativity Façade, designed and created by Gaudi in Baroque style celebrates the birth of Jesus in sculpture. The Passion Façade which Gaudi envisioned and for which he left notes was completed by Josep Maria Subirachs in recent decades, much to the chagrin of many. While Gaudi’s work is inspired by nature where there are no right angles or sharp corners, Subirachs' work is nothing but sharp angles which, in my opinion, heightens the sense of pain and anguish of the story of Jesus' last days and his death. I found the Passion façade very compelling when following along from the beginning to end as described in the audioguide. I recall reading somewhere that Gaudi intended for people to learn the stories of the Bible by viewing the exterior of the church while someone else told them the stories. Worked for me as he intended!
Subirachs included a sculpture of Gaudi in the Passion façade, overseeing the scene. He also gave a nod to Gaudi by designing his Roman soldiers http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/88526668.jpg
to look similar to the chimneys of La Pedrera, another work by Gaudi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Mi...466892400).jpg
The main entry of the church which will include a Glory façade is still largely unfinished. I found it interesting to know that the plan is to demolish the buildings on the block across the street from the main entrance and to build a large stairway to the church's main entry with the street essentially going underground. I'm thinking "Stairway to Heaven" and hope I can return after completion (2026 at the earliest).
Next we visited the Nativity Tower which was definitely worth the minimal additional cost. I plan to visit the Passion Tower the next time I visit Barcelona. Seeing the Tree of Life http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7JdkwtLly...na+One+370.JPG up close as well as the fruit, vegetable and grain “toppers” http://www.artchive.com/artchive/g/g...ada_fruits.jpg on the existing towers was very cool. The walk down was fun (for me, but perhaps not if one is claustrophobic) and can be done at your own pace. The tight spiral allows an up close and personal view of exterior details as you descend. We noticed others peeking down into the central hole created by the spiral stairs so we did the same, looking both down and up which also made for interesting photos.
After exiting the tower, we visited the museum on the lower level of the church which includes photos and 3D models of various details of the church. Sadly, Gaudi’s models were largely destroyed after his death during the Spanish Civil War so the bits and pieces were saved and replicated by those that had worked with him on the project. We were able to peek into the workshop where employees design computer generated 3D models of upcoming work on the church. The first seventy-five percent of the church has taken 130 years to complete but the final twenty-five percent is slated for completion within the next twelve years thanks to ever improving technology in design and construction.
Gaudi worked on Sagrada Familia from the time of his commission in 1883 until he was killed when he walked in front of a tram in 1926. In his forties, he became a devout Catholic attending daily mass at Sant Felip Neri. Eventually, he lived only to work on Sagrada Familia for God, with no personal life. He worked exclusively on the basilica for the last decade of his life and during his last year, he slept on a cot in his workshop inside the church. The crypt where Gaudi is buried is open for visits Mon-Fri 9am-10am and 6pm to 9pm and on Sat, Sun and holidays 9am-2pm and 6pm-9pm according to the Sagrada Familia website. We didn’t get to see that except by peering down to it from the museum level.
When complete, Sagrada Familia will have eighteen towers in total. Twelve shorter bell towers (there are currently eight completed) each ~390 feet tall will represent the twelve apostles, four taller towers will represent the evangelists, a taller one will honor Mary and a central commanding tower ~ 558 feet tall will honor Jesus. As tall as the church looks now, when completed it will dominate the skyline. Gaudi designed the church to be just a tiny bit shorter than Montjuic (the hill near the sea) as he didn’t want a manmade structure to be taller that God’s own work.
After visiting Sagrada Familia, we made the mile and a half downhill journey back to Hotel Arts on foot. We stopped nearby at Creperie Bretonne Annaick for tasty savory galettes and cider. I wouldn’t call the creperie a destination dining location but good if you happen to be in the area. There is a bus inside the restaurant so that it appears the kitchen is located inside the vehicle. http://www.creperiebretonne.com/index_UK.htm
Next up, an afternoon trip to Park Guell, my favorite site in Barcelona.
Start by watching this awe inspiring video to understand what Sagrada Familia looks like today and how different it will look upon completion. http://youtu.be/RcDmloG3tXU
WOW! Right?
I purchased Sagrada Familia entry tickets online in advance of our trip in order to skip the ticket line. When purchasing online, one must select a date and a 15 minute time frame in which to enter the church and if entry is not made within that time frame, tickets won’t be honored according to the website. It appears that a maximum of 280 online tickets are available for any given window of time.
We chose the admission that includes both the audio guide and a visit up the Nativity Tower which also requires that one select a time frame for visiting. I found the audioguide to be very informative in deciphering Gaudi's intentions as I observed both the interior and exterior of the church. We had our choice of going up the Nativity or Passion Towers and I chose the Nativity Tower because it has a little bridge walkway at the top which I thought might make viewing more interesting. I believe the Passion Tower is taller. Both tower visits are by elevator up. The Nativity Tower requires a walk down and descending the Passion Tower can be by walking or by elevator. http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0
We were turned away from entry at Sagrada Familia when we arrived fifteen minutes early so we walked around the church once then entered the grounds, picked up audio guides and went inside. The interior is massive and starkly beautiful. The columns holding up the vaulted ceiling look like a forest of trees and the ceiling has a leafy design. I read somewhere that there is room for 15,000 congregants and the choir loft, which has a hyperbolic shaped ceiling to force sound down to the congregation, can hold 1500.
On the exterior of the church, the Nativity Façade, designed and created by Gaudi in Baroque style celebrates the birth of Jesus in sculpture. The Passion Façade which Gaudi envisioned and for which he left notes was completed by Josep Maria Subirachs in recent decades, much to the chagrin of many. While Gaudi’s work is inspired by nature where there are no right angles or sharp corners, Subirachs' work is nothing but sharp angles which, in my opinion, heightens the sense of pain and anguish of the story of Jesus' last days and his death. I found the Passion façade very compelling when following along from the beginning to end as described in the audioguide. I recall reading somewhere that Gaudi intended for people to learn the stories of the Bible by viewing the exterior of the church while someone else told them the stories. Worked for me as he intended!
Subirachs included a sculpture of Gaudi in the Passion façade, overseeing the scene. He also gave a nod to Gaudi by designing his Roman soldiers http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/88526668.jpg
to look similar to the chimneys of La Pedrera, another work by Gaudi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Mi...466892400).jpg
The main entry of the church which will include a Glory façade is still largely unfinished. I found it interesting to know that the plan is to demolish the buildings on the block across the street from the main entrance and to build a large stairway to the church's main entry with the street essentially going underground. I'm thinking "Stairway to Heaven" and hope I can return after completion (2026 at the earliest).
Next we visited the Nativity Tower which was definitely worth the minimal additional cost. I plan to visit the Passion Tower the next time I visit Barcelona. Seeing the Tree of Life http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7JdkwtLly...na+One+370.JPG up close as well as the fruit, vegetable and grain “toppers” http://www.artchive.com/artchive/g/g...ada_fruits.jpg on the existing towers was very cool. The walk down was fun (for me, but perhaps not if one is claustrophobic) and can be done at your own pace. The tight spiral allows an up close and personal view of exterior details as you descend. We noticed others peeking down into the central hole created by the spiral stairs so we did the same, looking both down and up which also made for interesting photos.
After exiting the tower, we visited the museum on the lower level of the church which includes photos and 3D models of various details of the church. Sadly, Gaudi’s models were largely destroyed after his death during the Spanish Civil War so the bits and pieces were saved and replicated by those that had worked with him on the project. We were able to peek into the workshop where employees design computer generated 3D models of upcoming work on the church. The first seventy-five percent of the church has taken 130 years to complete but the final twenty-five percent is slated for completion within the next twelve years thanks to ever improving technology in design and construction.
Gaudi worked on Sagrada Familia from the time of his commission in 1883 until he was killed when he walked in front of a tram in 1926. In his forties, he became a devout Catholic attending daily mass at Sant Felip Neri. Eventually, he lived only to work on Sagrada Familia for God, with no personal life. He worked exclusively on the basilica for the last decade of his life and during his last year, he slept on a cot in his workshop inside the church. The crypt where Gaudi is buried is open for visits Mon-Fri 9am-10am and 6pm to 9pm and on Sat, Sun and holidays 9am-2pm and 6pm-9pm according to the Sagrada Familia website. We didn’t get to see that except by peering down to it from the museum level.
When complete, Sagrada Familia will have eighteen towers in total. Twelve shorter bell towers (there are currently eight completed) each ~390 feet tall will represent the twelve apostles, four taller towers will represent the evangelists, a taller one will honor Mary and a central commanding tower ~ 558 feet tall will honor Jesus. As tall as the church looks now, when completed it will dominate the skyline. Gaudi designed the church to be just a tiny bit shorter than Montjuic (the hill near the sea) as he didn’t want a manmade structure to be taller that God’s own work.
After visiting Sagrada Familia, we made the mile and a half downhill journey back to Hotel Arts on foot. We stopped nearby at Creperie Bretonne Annaick for tasty savory galettes and cider. I wouldn’t call the creperie a destination dining location but good if you happen to be in the area. There is a bus inside the restaurant so that it appears the kitchen is located inside the vehicle. http://www.creperiebretonne.com/index_UK.htm
Next up, an afternoon trip to Park Guell, my favorite site in Barcelona.
