LA SAGRADA FAMILIA BBARCELONA

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA a whimsical cathedral to which Gaudi devoted much of his life.
Gaudi poured his greatest artistic endeavour together with his religious beliefs into the Sagrada Familia. Conceived as a XX century cathedral, today is one of the universal images of Barcelona.

Gaudi was a religious man who spent the last portion of his life designing and building the La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family), a church that has been under construction now for over a century.  Work continues, funded by donations, but no one is quite sure when it will be completed, although it is being constructed according to Gaudi’s design.
If you only have time to visit one monument in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia should be it.
No other architect in history has ever had such an absolute influence on a city as Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) has had on Barcelona.

There are great works of his Moderniste style all over the city but the greatest of all his works is the unfinished Sagrada Familia.

When Gaudi began building what he conceived as a “20th Century Cathedral” in 1883 he was well aware that he would never complete the construction in his lifetime. He soon became obsessed with the project and set up an office on site which became his

permanent residence. His plan was to build facades which would represent the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ with eighteen towers symbolizing the twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, and the Virgin Mary and Christ. The one representing Christ would be the tallest and would stand 170 meters high.

Sagrada Familia is the most famous work of Gaudí, to which he devoted his entire life to the extent that lived inside the compound to monitor more closely the construction. A note, which is the only major temple under construction worldwide.

The initiative of the Sagrada Familia Barcelona:

Who did the idea of building the temple Sagrada Familia?. The promoter was Josep Maria Bocabella i Verdaguer, a bookseller and very devouted cult that in 1866 he founded “The Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph,” and entity that sought to assist in the dissemination of Catholicism  and when traditional religiosity faced with new ideas that originated in the social changes advocated the Industrial Revolution. It was this a rather conservative ideology.

The activity that Josep Maria Bocabella developed to promote his idea led him in 1872 to make a visit to the Holy Father in Rome to offer on behalf of the silver image of the Sagrada Familia. Back visited the town of Loreto, where the view of his church, was inspired to build a temple in Barcelona atoning. This idea, however, was unsuccessful and eventually charged the architect Francesc de Paula Villar and draft a temple than the servile imitation of any other.

Sagrada Familia (First steps):

Bocabella was very active in carrying out his dream. Since 1876 is to find a plot in Barcelona to lift the temple, but this posed many problems because the budget was low.

Finally, in 1881 acquired the land restricted by the streets of Mallorca, Provence, Navy and Sardinia, with a total area of 12,800 m2, where today stands the temple Sagrada Familia, for a price of 172,000 Pounds of the time (1034 €). This amount Bocabella what kept under the tiles in her shop, for fear they were stolen during the frequent riots at the time.

The work was initiated following a conventional neo-Gothic style in 1882 by the architect said F. Villar and Lozano. The day of San Jose this year, Bishop Morgades laid the first stone.

Soon there is a conflict between Villar and the architect Martorell representing the Board and also was involved in the works. Villar sent a letter to Bocabella saying that if not followed his instructions resign from office. Bocabella accepted the view Martorell, representing a significant saving on the cost of the work, in fact, this was done inside the columns of stone instead of solid build with blocks.

Villar to replace the Board on a proposal from Martorell, accepted Gaudí - who was only 31 years - as a new architect of the temple.

Incorporation and change of Gaudí Project for Sagrada Familia:

Gaudi took the leadership in 1883 and planning began on the crypt, which added a moat around so that it could have direct light and natural ventilation in the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi also changed the capitals, the subject of the dispute with Villar. All this after abandoning its original idea of building the temple at the site diagonal, which was impossible, because the crypt already started.
Before a church as a whole, Gaudí had yet to finish the chapel of St. Joseph of Sagrada Familia to be inaugurated on March 19 (San Jose), 1885 and the corresponding levels as the first director of the works, which had signed December 1884.
From here, Gaudí was restated and developed the entire project of Sagrada Familia in which an idea from the few elements already built, to build a grand temple with a Latin cross plan, which was deposited in all their architectural skills. A map published by the temple “The Propagator” in 1890, and will be shown as the temple, with twelve towers and the large central cimborio.

Fullness of the work of Gaudí:

Gaudi is how soon will have to build the temple if you do so at horizontal or vertical fragments and thinks that “it is unable to complete the temple in a single generation, because we leave a strong example of our footprint, which future generations feel the encouragement of the rest and we do not atemos for the rest of the work. ” Following this reasoning, while just Gaudí crypt begins construction of the apse and while this just begins the facade of the Nativity. Gaudí did not complete plans but from some key levels, will set the various elements of construction in large fragments.

In 1892 the foundation began the facade of the Nativity, the cloister and the windows of the north transept of Sangrada Familia
The year 1899 is just the Portal del Rosario of the Sagrada familia in front of the Nativity.
Studies that Gaudí did for Sagrada Familia :each facade were very detailed and is translated into scale models 1:25 and 1:10.
The facade of the Passion of the Sagrada Familia made three studies, the final of the year 1911, published in 1917, but did not make a model.
He estimates the cimborios, but not the complete study. The facade of the Gloria of Sagrada Familia only became a model and a detailed study of the imagery.
Gaudí spent the last years of his life to the full study of the interior of the temple with 1:10 scale models, with the columns, arches, windows, roofs and facades linking portals.

Religious activities in Sagrada Familia and killing of Gaudí:

In 1920 during the celebration of the Jubilee Year of St. Joseph, “organized a series of events in Sagrada Familia, processions, pilgrimages, masses, etc.. begin work on the columns of the cruise and in an act of exceptional importance meet orfeones thousand singers from all over Catalonia, under the baton of maestro Lluís Millet to sing Alleluia to Händel.
On November 30, 1925 is just the bell tower of St. Barnabas the facade of the Nativity(Sagrada Familia’s part)
On July 10, 1926 Gaudí had been killed by a tram hit three days earlier. Is buried in the Crypt of the Sagrada Familia 12 days in a massive event that turns the entire city to pay tribute to Gaudi.

The Sagrada Familia is a temple of the basilica in a sort of a Latin cross in which the core is occupied by four aisles of 7′5 meters wide each, and a nave 15 meters wide, making a total of 45 meters.
The total length of the Sagrada Familia temple, including the nave and the apse is 95 meters. The cruise has three ships with a total width of 30 meters and a length of 60. This cruise has two exits, one at the front of the Nativity and the other to the front of the Passion. The main departure hall at the front of the Gloria, the most important of all and still not built, which will be the main entrance of the temple located in the street Mallorca. These walls have a task in an understandable way to illustrate the mysteries of the birth, passion and resurrection - glory - Jesus Christ.
The apse is lobed and is a seven chapels at both ends have a polygonal stairs and dedicated to the seven sorrows and beatitudes of San Jose. The ambulatory is built around the presbytery.
The faculty, as opposed to the traditional location at the side of the temple, almost completely surrounded the temple and is conceived as an element of isolation from the outside. In the central part of the apse, the faculty will be divided by the chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin. On each side, a sacristy.
On Sagrada Familia,to the left of the main facade (of Glory), will be built right and the Baptistery chapel of the Eucharist and Penance.
The project of Sagrada Familia envisages the construction of twelve towers (one for each apostle), four more to the evangelists, one dedicated to the Virgin and most important of 170 m. tall crowned with the typical cross of four arms of Gaudi, a symbol of Jesus Christ. These towers are parabolic profile in the interior stairs that spiral around a space where you are to put the tubular bells, which Gaudí studied for years and play percussion and compressed air (it is anticipated that these bells are the last elements be built).
Each window, column and element refers to holy mysteries or institutions of the Catholic faith.
Currently more than 100 years since the launch, work continues at a rate of construction has accelerated considerably.
The only part of the Sagrada Familia temple is built directly by Gaudi which includes the apse and the facade of the Nativity of Sagrada Familia with its four towers, including the 1926 death at the age of 74 years was run over by a tram, there were only able to complete the free base the pinnacles of three of them and the entire St. Barnabas.
The controversy over the continuation of the work from 1952, was due to the lack of original designs that were largely destroyed during the civil war (1936-1939) and fortunately has been completely overcome, now speaks of the possibility If the work continues at the same pace, to finish the work within 20-25 years.