When I was in high school, I had an incredible Spanish teacher, La Senora Trueba. Her class was an immersion based full on spanish assault, and from day one, I felt like I had left tiny Mountain Home, Idaho for far off places in Spain and Mexico. Looking back, it was then and there that I developed an insatiable need to travel. Aside from language, we studied the culture, the food and the architecture of many different Spanish speaking locales. Of all the things we studied, the Sagrada Familia stood out. I was mesmerized by its soaring spires, its crazy architectural flare (grapes and corn on the top of a church?!?), and most of all, by its location in Barcelona. I had to see it!
So after several years, a few major life events, and a considerable loss of my spanish speaking skills, I decided to check it out…
On our second day in Spain, we left our apartment early in the morning and after a delicious croissant and hot chocolate outside La Perdera (another Gaudi gem, another post) we wandered down the streets of Barcelona, in search of the Sagrada Familia. We got sidetracked a number of times, coming across tiny, beautiful churches; spanish motorcycle shops, etc., but finally turned a corner, broke out of the tall buildings onto a park, and got our first glance of Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece… La Sagrada Familia:
I was thunderstruck. It was all I had hoped it would be and more, because its construction had progressed 18 years since I had studied it. I suppose I didn’t mention that the The Sagrada Familia is a work in progress. Construction began on it in 1882, and continued steadily until Antoni Gaudi’s death in 1926 (he was struck and killed by a streetcar, in a daze from his lack of sleep and breakneck work on the project). Work on it became intermittent after that as it stuggled with funding issues, wars and all the other little things that plague greatness. Work has resumed at a steady pace in the last few years and it is estimated to be completed sometime between 2026-2035, depending on who you ask.
As we neared the cathedral, the details began to stand out and we were all spellbound.
After standing in line for a bit, and purchasing our tickets, we were on the grounds!! I was so excited!! We walked around the Passion Facade (there are currently two facades, there will be three) and then went inside.
At this point, words escaped me. I was truly unprepared for the beauty and scale of the interior. In my studies, I only ever looked at exterior pictures, which made the beauty inside all the more amazing. It was breathtaking. Once we had our fill of the interior, we walked to the entrance opposite the Passion Facade, to the Nativity Facade.
Unfortunately, the entire face was in the shadows, making it difficult to capture any detail. Oh well, guess we'll just have to go back.
