Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
were none in nature, he said), Gaudí gave his towers swelling outlines inspired by the weird
peaks of the holy mountain Montserrat outside Barcelona, and encrusted them with a tangle
of sculpture that seems an outgrowth of the stone.
At Gaudí's death, only the crypt, the apse walls, one portal and one tower had been finished.
Three more towers were added by 1930, completing the northeast (Nativity) facade. In 1936
anarchists burned and smashed the interior, including workshops, plans and models. Work
began again in 1952, but controversy has always clouded progress. Opponents of the con-
tinuation of the project claim that the computer models based on what little of Gaudí's plans
survived the anarchists' ire have led to the creation of a monster that has little to do with
Gaudí's plans and style. It is a debate that appears to have little hope of resolution. Like or
hate what is being done, the fascination it awakens is undeniable.
Guesses on when construction might be complete range from the 2020s to the 2040s. Even
before reaching that point, some of the oldest parts of the church, especially the apse, have
required restoration work.
The Interior & the Apse
Inside, work on roofing over the church was completed in 2010. The roof is held up by a
forest of extraordinary angled pillars. As the pillars soar towards the ceiling, they sprout a
web of supporting branches, creating the effect of a forest canopy. The tree image is in no
way fortuitous - Gaudí envisaged such an effect. Everything was thought through, including
the shape and placement of windows to create the mottled effect one would see with sunlight
pouring through the branches of a thick forest. The pillars are made from four different types
of stone. They vary in colour and load-bearing strength, from the soft Montjuïc stone pillars
along the lateral aisles through to granite, dark grey basalt and finally burgundy-tinged Ira-
nian porphyry for the key columns at the intersection of the nave and transept. The stained
glass,dividedinshadesofred,blue,greenandochre,createsahypnotic,magicalatmosphere
when the sun hits the windows. Tribunes built high above the aisles can host two choirs: the
main tribune up to 1300 people and the children's tribune up to 300.
Nativity Facade
TheNativityFacadeistheartisticpinnacleofthebuilding,mostlycreatedunderGaudí'sper-
sonal supervision. You can climb high up inside some of the four towers by a combination
of lifts and narrow spiral staircases - a vertiginous experience. Do not climb the stairs if
you have cardiac or respiratory problems. The towers are destined to hold tubular bells cap-
ableofplayingcomplexmusicatgreatvolume.Theirupperpartsaredecoratedwithmosaics
