LA FAMILIA SAGRADA: An Iconic Church Inspired by Nature

Have you been to a church that looks like a forest inside? 

As soon as you enter, you will stand in awe of the place, turn speechless and frozen in amazement. You feel like being in the middle of a magical forest sans the sound of tweeting birds, the silence broken only by light footsteps and the quiet sigh of astonished visitors.

The columns are not the usual tall, cylindrical  posts you normally see in buildings or church structures. They are built like the trunk of a tree that changes its shape and branches out as it grows taller. There are skylights between the columns that allow light to come in. The ceilings are adorned with sculptures of leaves, fruits and flowers which can also be seen in many parts of the church. 

When sunlight passes through the skylights and the stained glass on the walls,  you see glowing light of different hues and colors shining on you from different directions like a spotlight, gently changing in brightness at different times of the day depending on where the sun is.

How's that for a place of worship?

GOD'S ARCHITECT

Antonio Gaudi is the main architect behind this magnificent structure in Barcelona, Spain. The original architect Francisco Paula del Villar planned for a Gothic style architecture. He was commissioned by Spanish philanthropist Joseph Maria Bocabella who envisioned it as a church. However, when Gaudi took over the project one year after the construction started in 1882, he changed the original architectural plan altogether to reflect his own personal style with nature as his inspiration.

Why nature?

As a young boy with delicate health issues yet excelled in geometry and arithmetic, he grew up in their family farmhouse in Catalonia, Spain learning the trade of his father - a coppersmith, and keenly observing nature with so much passion and interest. There, he spent many hours discovering the secrets of nature, "which he thought of as his supreme mistress and ultimate teacher of the highest knowledge, being the crowning achievement of the Creator." 

According to Jonathan Evans in his article entitled God's Architect, Gaudi described nature as "the Great Book, always open, that we should force ourselves to read" and thought that "everything structural or ornamental that an architect might imagine was already prefigured in natural form, in limestone grottoes or dry bones, in a beetle's shining wing case or the thrust of an ancient olive trunk."

Evans cited that it is for this reason that "the Sagrada Familia is primarily experienced as a forest of columns through which light falls in glowing colors. Like medieval cathedrals, the eye is drawn upwards towards the light and glory of God. Here this is realized by means of slender trunk-like columns which branch before the ceiling of the basilica, where natural and artificial light mingles in star-like shapes resembling sunflower heads." 

COMPLETION OF LA SAGRADA FAMILIA

The target date for completion is 2026 which happens to be the centenary of Gaudi's death. That's a total of 144 years since 1882, longer than what it took for the Great Pyramids to be completed. 

But what is taking it so long to complete?

Death by Accident

Gaudi was only 31 when he took over the Sagrada project to which he devoted the rest of his life until his death in 1926. He was hit by a tram while walking from work in the middle of the night. Mistaken for a beggar with his disheveled hair and unkept appearance, no taxi driver stopped to help and bring him to the hospital. When his body was discovered by the locals, he said "Please do not remove me here. This is my place." He died with only a quarter of the project being completed leaving detailed plans for the unfinished portions which included the Nativity Facade that he himself built and aimed to complete in his lifetime.

Fire, Civil War and Vandalism

Ten years after his death however, his drawings and models were destroyed by fire making it difficult for the succeeding architects to understand his vision and intentions for Sagrada even with the use of advance technology. The Spanish Civil War and instances of vandalism likewise contributed to the delay. It came to a point that a debate ensued as to whether the Sagrada will be continued or just leave it unfinished. 

In the words of Salvador Dali - a famous Spanish surrealist artist, “I do not think that the Sagrada Familia can ever be completed, certainly not until a new genius appears… a genius capable of superimposing on Gaudi’s art a new architectonic concept and style that we cannot foresee today. It would be treason against Gaudi’s art to want or pretend to be able to finish the Sagrada Familia by bureaucratic methods lacking the touch of genius. It is far better for the building to remain like a gigantic, decayed tooth, full of possibilities.”

Funding for Construction

Gaudi’s idea is that the church "should be made by the people, and it is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of people." To date, the construction of the church (later designated as a Cathedral and declared by Pope Benedict as a Basilica) is funded not by the government of Spain but through entrance fees paid by millions of visitors from all over the world coming each year. The onset of Covid-19 became a major  setback with the influx of tourists falling way below than expected - a factor that will most probably extend the completion target beyond 2026.

Complex Architectural Plan

The architectural plan of Sagrada is so complex that even Antonio Gaudi admitted it would take several generations to complete the huge project. He said "I will grow old but others will come after me. What must always be conserved is the spirit of the work, but its life has to depend on the generations it is handed down to and with whom it lives and is incarnated." 

Jordi Fauli, the current Head Architect said, "Gaudi left us the path. Sometimes, though, we've had to work hard to find it." 

Construction Regulations

It is said that Gaudi applied for a construction permit in 1885 which was never approved nor rejected. It was only in 2019 that the City of Barcelona gave the construction permit for the project. By then, the Sagrada has already made its mark globally as an iconic structure and symbol of Christian evangelism.

HOW WILL SAGRADA LOOK LIKE WHEN COMPLETED?

The Sagrada will have 18 spires or conical towers of which 12 represent the 12 apostles; 4 represent the evangelists Mathew, Mark, Luke and John; 1 represents the Virgin Mary; and the last and highest  measuring 172.5 meters represents Jesus Christ. 

Gaudi believed that nothing man-made should be taller than God's work. Thus, he designed it in such a way that the tallest tower is one meter lower than Mt. Montjuic, the highest point in Barcelona. 

The Sagrada will have 3 facades - the Nativity Facade which was built by Gaudi himself, the Passion Facade and the Glory Facade.

TRANSCENDENCE: GOING BEYOND SELF

More than the expression of his design ingenuity to create a magnificent architectural masterpiece that will be attributed to him, Gaudi envisioned the Sagrada as a place to be shared with everyone without distinction  in the same way that God's Words are to be shared with everyone - that people who visit the church may find true meaning in the beauty of God's creations and reaffirm their faith. 

A visit to La Familia Sagrada is not only culturally enriching but also spiritually renewing.

You can email me at greencraftivist@gmail.com.

Apple Bleza-Morales

References:

- LaFamiliaSagrada.org

- CasaBatllo.es

- Time.com

- Britanica.com

- God's Architect by Jonathan Evans

- Re-thinking the Future.com

Photos by:  Maybelle Bleza-Morales

About the Author:
Apple (or Maybelle in the corporate setting) is an HR Professional who is passionately immersed in home and community gardening as well as related arts and crafts. She completed post baccalaureate studies in Human Resources and Organization Development at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Relations from the University of the Philippines with focus in Human Resources Development.