La Sagrada Familia (translated to The Holy Family) is probably Barcelona's main attraction to tourists; but it is also an important part of Barcelona culture. This cathedral was designed by world famous and local resident architect Antoni Gaudi. Construction of La Sagrada Familia started in 1882, and it has just reached its half way point in regards to finishing construction in 2010. In fact, construction of this immaculate church is estimated to be finished in 2035! Construction is slow for a couple different reasons. First off there was a stint in the construction during the Spanish Civil War and it did not start up agin until the 1950s. Also, funding of the construction is strictly based on private donations, so it is up to the people of Barcelona and Catalonia to determine how fast or slow construction will be finished. Finally, when looking at the detail of parts already built of this cathedral, it is easy to see why the whole construction process takes time--the second half of this construction is estimated to have the greatest challenges. Pope Benedict XVI visited La Sagrada Familia just this past month of November 2010 to declare this church a minor basilica. Considering that the church isn't even fully built, this declaration by the Pope alone is a huge accomplishment for Barcelona. The one problem La Sagrada Familia faces currently is the construction of the AVE that would go beneath the church. The AVE is a high speed train that is intended to connect major cities across Spain and the rest of Europe, and the major debate right now is whether or not the vibrations the train would give off will disrupt the church or not in regards to stability. Tests have shown that there should be no interference.
When I visited La Sagrada Familia I was amazed at what I was looking at. Never in my life have I seen something so unbelievably beautiful and detailed. To think that this is one of the more massive structures I have ever seen in my life and it is only half way built astonishes me. I think it is so cool how each side of the church is made up of very detailed sculptures that tell a story about the catholic religion, but every side has a different style of sculpture. This church alone gave me a new found respect for Antoni Gaudi and all other architects because in order to build something as epic as La Sagrada Familia takes an incredible amount and combination of imagination and intelligence. I hope to come back to Barcelona one day to see the final product of La Sagrada Familia. I can only imagine what it will look like then!
No comments:
Post a Comment