In each tourist Mecca, where thousands of inquisitive pilgrims from all over the world flock every year, there is an associative construction-business card . This is the most important attraction that is mandatory must look'om for every foreign tourist, and without which it is already impossible to imagine this or that country or city . So, only with one mention of Paris the image of the Eiffel Tower instantly pops up, when the image of the statue of freedom in the mind blinks a glimmer the icon of the USA, and the icon of the Cheops pyramid may well replace the name of Egypt on the geographical map . However, perhaps no other country in the world has such a specific feature that distinguishes the business card of the Spanish city of Barcelona from other world famous buildings . It is, of course, the famous work of the great architect Gaudi, about the cathedral of Sagrada Familia .

The architectural narrative of this author extends the chain of contributions to the construction from his followers to our contemporaries . It breathes the e the memory of past historical events and sounds in unison with today's 21st century . The Cathedral of the Holy Family is a truly unique architectural phenomenon, it is a bridge that connected generations and epochs and presented an exceptional opportunity not only to touch history, but also to join its creation . For two centuries the construction is being built, growing, changing .

The history of the construction of the cathedral

The creation of the cathedral began in 1882 with the unfamiliar history of the architect Francisco de Villar. Initially, the construction was conceived to be executed in the Neo-Gothic style, in the spirit of that time and in classical ideas about how the Christian church should look. In accordance with this, the construction and construction of the crypt under the apse was laid. However, by the will of the case, Villar soon abandons the project and is headed by Antonio Gaudi, who is appointed chief architect in 1891.

Gaudi simply founted with ideas . As an abstract artist, engulfed in inner impulses and emotions, he splashed his ideas chaotically, often without diagrams and drawings, intuitively , infinitely something me, breaking and rebuilding again. . No wonder that the construction required from him maximum personal presence and assistance, so eventually the cathedral became for him and a workshop, and the roof of . 43 years of life the master gave to his creation , wherein In his life, only a third of his plan was realized . Gaudí was a deeply devout person, and Sagrada Familia was supposed to become, according to his plan, a modern reading of the New Testament . And indeed, it seems that every stone in the structure is not accidental, it is informative nourished and tells about the next biblical story . The plan of the building is made in the form of a Latin cross, this actually exhausted the similarity of this futuristic structure with the usual Catalonian churches and temples .

Interior and architecture of the cathedral

Gaudi's thoughts Al, perform three facades, Christmas, Passion of Christ and Resurrection, each of which must be crowned with four pointed towers, height of 112 meters, which would add up to a total of 12, which would correspond to 12 apostles . 4 more towers, 120 meters each, must symbolize the Evangelists and surround the central, highest tower (170 m) dedicated to Jesus, on which the cross should be located . The tower with the bell tower in honor of the Virgin Mary was supposed to be located above the apse . Gaudi decided that even the tallest tower temple should not exceed the highest mountain in Spain, Montjuic .

Each facade must carry its own semantic load, transferred by bas-reliefs, which would convey a narrative about the life and works of Christ. So the first facade tells of the Nativity of Christ, this is the eastern part of the transept, the only part of the cathedral built almost completely during the life of the author. The complete completion of the facade was completed only at the end of the 50s of the twentieth century.

Speaking about the merits of architecture, the unusual shape and structure of the building as a whole, I want to pay attention to the interior and exterior decoration of the temple . Even on the worst amateur photography, and lovingly Gaudi took literally every square centimeter of his work . The decoration of the building and the décor simply amazes the imagination with the amount of detail, the thoughtfulness of the stories, lines, transitions, the combination of different styles . and modern, and Gothic, and Christian traditions, a pinch of baroque, a bit of eastern architecture, and all this is not kitsch, it is a perfectly harmonious composition in which there is nothing superfluous . Vintage steps, innovative diagonal supports, columns in the form of branchy trees, lined with majolica towers and decorated with zodiacal symbols and gifts of nature, vines and clusters, shells, wheat ears . In addition, the temple is filled with a special poetry, which Maestro wanted to invest in it . Gaudi planned to build a bell tower, where the bells would be swinging from the gusts of the wind . He created a complicated lighting system where the light had to penetrate through the apertures in the towers and through the stained glass windows at different levels, which would create a feeling of flowing light .

In 1954, after the death of Gaudi, many of his followers began to build the facade of the Passion . Inside this part of the temple was subsequently opened a museum in which survived sketches, drawings, the author's own works, as well as the artist's military and technical objects associated with the construction of the structure throughout its history . From 1977 until the beginning of the 21st century, four towers were built, the facade was decorated with sculptures and the interior decoration of the building was stained with glass windows . In 2000, the facade of Glory and at the same time it was planned to erect the tower of Christ and the Virgin Mary . Works are ongoing to this day and according to preliminary calculations the global end of construction is planned by 2030 . All the last decade the temple is surrounded by yellow giraffes of cranes that look funny and strange between the conical tops of the towers . Imprinted by millions of tourists in the photographs, they are, to some extent, also immortalized and attached to the history of the architectural masterpiece .

Contacts

Information for those who have penetrated the work of Antonio Gaudi and who wish to see the Sagrada Familia:

You can admire the structure at any time of the year. To reach the temple you can take the subway station Sagrada Familia, line L2 (lilac branch), L5 (blue) or buses 19, 33, 34, 43, 44, 50 and 51, - Sagrada Familia stop. The temple is located at Mallorca, 401. Opening hours from October to September from 9.00 to 18.00, in summer to 20.00

The cost of admission ticket 12, 50 EUR (with guide or audioguide - 16, 50 euros); students, pensioners, children 10-18 years old - 10, 50 EUR (with guide or audioguide - 13, 50 euros)

For excursions currently open: one tower of the Facade of Christmas, on top of which you can climb a narrow spiral staircase. However, if you are not extreme, then for this case there is an antique vintage elevator. The entrance to one of the facades of the Facade of Passion and the museum is also open. Be mentally prepared for huge lines and believe me, it's worth it!

Reviews of Sagrada Familia (6)

Evaluation 10

The most ambitious construction of the world July 28, 2014

Lera

was here in July 2013

Catalans are very proud of their history, their cities. The most beloved of them is Barcelona. To be here and not to see everyone's famous long-term construction - the Sagrada Familia - is considered a bad form. Such a construction is worth seeing, especially to us - contemporaries are given a unique opportunity to wait for the end of almost 130 years of construction. The end date is set for 2016.
They began to build the Sagrada Familia back in the late 19th century. Initially, the project was overseen not by Antonio Gaudi, who in Barcelona ... Read full review

Evaluation 10

Fabulous place! 10 December 2013

Alexandra

was here in April 2012

It was with the Cathedral of the Holy Family or Sagrada Familia that my love for Spain began. I saw him in one of the tourist programs and began to dream of seeing and personally. This dream came true, and, fortunately, my impressions surpassed my expectations. Of course, as one of the main attractions of Barcelona, ​​Sagrada Familia is a part of many excursions. But I got there on bus touristic. I know that you can even walk from the center, at the same time and see the city. Sagrada Familia, this is certainly something special .... Read the whole review

Evaluation 10

Captivates the spirit November 07, 2013

Polar Star

was here in April 2013

To visit Barcelona and not see the Sagrada Familia is simply impossible. This is a kind of visiting card of the city, the crown of the creation of Antonio Gaudi. Since the council decided to build a poor brotherhood of St. Joseph, he had enough money only to buy a wasteland on the outskirts of the city. So now the symbol of Barcelona is not located in its center. The easiest way to get there is by metro, to the same station, or by a tourist bus - both Bus Turistic (blue route) and Barcelona City Tour (eastern route) ... Read the whole review

Evaluation 10

The symbol of Spain September 30, 2013

Tatyana

was here in September 2013

Before traveling to Spain, I certainly saw pictures of Sagrada Familia and read a lot about this architectural monument. Perhaps there is no such person who would not have heard of the Council of the Holy Family. But you need to see it with your own eyes.

Many paths lead to Sagrada. The cathedral is high, it can be seen from afar. Around him are always crowds of tourists, people watch and photograph this building. Every detail on the facade does not just appear, it carries a secret or explicit meaning. To see something, ... Read the whole review

Evaluation 10

Business card of Spain September 02, 2013

Alexey

was here in September 2011

The Sagrada Familia is shown to tourists first of all as it is one of the most striking and memorable sights of Barcelona. The most beautiful of course is the facade built by Gaudi himself. The architect took the idea of ​​this facade from sandcastles and this part of the cathedral really looks like a sand castle - the same smooth lines, as well as figures. Two other cathedral facades have already been built, but they are much inferior to the first. Take for example the facade executed in the style of Cubism, ... Read the whole review

Evaluation 10

Another masterpiece, to which the great Gaudi put his hand August 05, 2013

Luna

was here in August 2012

We were lucky twice, because Sagra Family was only 10 minutes walk from our hostel. The spectacle is even fascinating from afar. Only perpetual reconstruction and the availability of cranes spoil the picture. I did not expect that the cathedral would be so high. Attempt to fit it all in the photo was not very successful.
The structure has a futuristic view not only from the outside, but also inside. So many small details almost hand-carved and pasted into a common composition, stained-glass windows, high arches in ... Read the whole review