Temple of the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi, 1882-1906

Antoni Gaudi 1852-1926

Born in Spain on 25 June 1852 to parents of the coppersmith trade, Antoni Gaudi had a sickly childhood which caused him to spend time contemplating nature. He was a deeply religious man and this caused him to believe that by integrating nature into his works allowed him to connect with God. His designs were an abstraction of gothic architecture taken to fantastical levels. He did away with geometry allowing a more humanist line which gave the buildings weight and a sense of spirit. He took much influence from Ruskin and medieval architecture which developed into a style which was nothing short of bizarre. He was fortunate to be able to be commissioned by rich families who gave him a free hand to do as he pleased.

He was determined to create a style that reflected the region from which he came, Catalan, and his work extended to that of everyday objects such as park benches which were heavily mosaic-ed. As his work matured, it became evident that it would not be a style which would be copied and developed on multiple levels as it was so unique.

His strict Catholic religion caused him to work obsessively on the Sagrada Familia. This overtook his life in later years and he became so intuned that he moved into the crypt where he spent his last few years of life. He became recluse and when he was runover by a tram in 1926, he was so bedraggled that no one would help him. He made it to a hospital for the poor and when he was finally found by friends, he refused to move declaring he belonged there with the paupers. He died a few days later and his body now lies in the crypt.

References
Text -
Modern Architecture Since 1900, William R Curtis, Phaidon Press Ltd, London, 1996.
Barcelona - The Palimpsest of Barcelona, Joan Barrill, Triangle Postals, Menorca, 2008.

Image - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPo9yHjiw6JbjMCbnXD3uR5NloaHqoauSCvAE5EAc8KDNZNe3KB71K17Rh45H3b1UqlAWXUS3kp7JTYBuFd0__jCL2z9X8s17e3UhVcK5ovXIR6VRteuX4ro017Ecz4-c2YFJyAzAfiMt/s400/antoni-gaudi.jpg [accessed 18 August 2010]

Barcelona - The Palimpsest of Barcelona, Joan Barrill, Triangle Postals, Menorca, 2008, p266


History of Architecture - From Classic to Contemporary, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, Ed Rolf Toman, p275


Barcelona - The Palimpsest of Barcelona, Joan Barrill, Triangle Postals, Menorca, 2008, p267

La Sagrada Familia 1882 -1926

In 1884 Gaudi was commissioned to work on La Sagrada Familia after Francisco del Villar’s initial designs. Gaudi’s deep religious belief caused him to spend the last 16 years working obsessively on the church. The complexity of its design is unparalleled. The crypt is based on del Villar’s designs. The lower visible levels were completed some 9 years later in 1893. After Gaudi’s death, Domenech Sugranyes directed the proceeding until 1936, time of the Spanish Civil War. It was then that parts of the models and plans were destroyed making it almost impossible to continue on with Gaudi’s intention. Since then the following architects have worked on the building Francesca Quintana, Isidre puig Boada, Lluis Bonet, Frencesda Cardner.

The building has a total of 18 spires – 12 to represent the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, one for Mary and the tallest represents Jesus. These enormous spires make it the tallest church in the world and the tallest spire in the world. The three grand facades depict the Nativity which faces east, the Glory facing south and the Passion facing west. It still remains unfinished with completion expected in 2026.

References -
Modern Architecture Since 1900, William R Curtis, Phaidon Press Ltd, London, 1996.
http://www.barcelona-life.com/culture/culture_details/14-La_Sagrada_Familia [accessed 18 August 2010]