Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Gaudí's work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família commenced in 1882 by architect Francisco Paula de Villar with Gaudí becoming involved in 1883 after Francisco resigned as the head architect. Taking over the project, Gaudí transformed it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Sagrada Familia's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.
The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona's cathedral, over Gaudí's design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí's death disregarded his design, and the 2007 proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain's high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."
The Basilica of the Sagrada Família was the inspiration of a bookseller, Josep Maria Bocabella, founder of Asociación Espiritual de Devotos de San José (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph).
After a visit to the Vatican in 1872, Bocabella returned from Italy with the intention of building a church inspired by that at Loreto. The apse crypt of the church, funded by donations, was begun 19 March 1882, on the festival of St Joseph, to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, whose plan was for a Gothic revival church of a standard form. The apse crypt was completed before Villar's resignation on 18 March 1883, when Gaudí assumed responsibility for its design, which he changed radically. Antoni Gaudí began work on the church in 1883 but was not appointed Architect Director until 1884.
Construction
On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked: "My client is not in a hurry." When Gaudí died in 1926, the basilica was between 15 and 25 percent complete.After Gaudí's death, work continued under the direction of Domènec Sugrañes i Gras until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Parts of the unfinished basilica and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The present design is based on reconstructed versions of the plans that were burned in a fire as well as on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The illumination was designed by Carles Buigas.
The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades. Barcelona-born Jordi Fauli took over as chief architect in 2012.
Construction in early 1988
The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. As of 2006, work concentrated on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave, which will become the Glory façade.
The church shares its site with the Sagrada Família Schools building, a school originally designed by Gaudí in 1909 for the children of the construction workers. Relocated in 2002 from the eastern corner of the site to the southern corner, the building now houses an exhibition
Construction status
Chief architect Jordi Fauli announced in October 2015 that construction is 70 percent complete and has entered its final phase of raising six immense towers. The towers and most of the church's structure are to be completed by 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death; decorative elements should be complete by 2030 or 2032. Visitor entrance fees of 15–20 euros ($17–22) finance the annual construction budget of 25 million euros ($28.38 million).
Computer-aided design technology has been used to accelerate construction of the building. Current technology allows stone to be shaped off-site by a CNC milling machine, whereas in the 20th century the stone was carved by hand.
In 2008, some renowned Catalan architects advocated halting construction, to respect Gaudí's original designs, which although they were not exhaustive and were partially destroyed, have been partially reconstructed in recent years.
A 2010 exhibition, "Gaudí Unseen, Completing La Sagrada Família" at the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt am Main, describes the current construction methods and future plans for the Sagrada Família.
Consecration
The main nave was covered and an organ installed in mid-2010, allowing the still-unfinished building to be used for religious services. The church was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010 in front of a congregation of 6,500 people. A further 50,000 people followed the consecration Mass from outside the basilica, where more than 100 bishops and 300 priests were on hand to offer Holy Communion. There are currently no regularly scheduled Masses celebrated at the basilica, although visitors may pray at the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament and Penitence. Occasionally, Mass is celebrated, although attendance requires an invitation. When Masses are scheduled, instructions to obtain an invitation are posted on the basilica's website.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia
The church of the Sagrada Familia is a five-naved basilica. The central nave rises above the others significantly. To each nave a door is assigned to the unfinished glory facade. There are also two side portals that lead to the penance chapel and baptistery. Behind the nave, in the apse, is the altar, in the light of the many windows of the apse.
In the same way that the façades carry a rich symbology, the layout of the church is also full of symbols. Every door, every column, and almost every area has its own concrete or symbolic significance. This symbolism refers to the individual Catalan dioceses and Spanish dioceses, to every church in Latin America, on each of the five continents, to the apostles, to the great religious founders and most revered saints, the theological virtues, the sacraments, and more.
The vault-and-pillar system inside the basilica
The first drafts of the naves were similar in their basic features to the Gothic style, but without additional support and buttress. In this original design, the walls were still the main elements of each column, and were indispensable for the stability of the building. Gaudí's studies of stability were groundbreaking: the architect created a knotted rope construction in which the columns correspond to the ropes. He turned the construction of the pressure points and hung small weights. In this way he was able to simulate the pressure gradients in the columns.
The result of his research is a tree-like column structure. The columns are inclined and branched-like trees. The weight will be routed directly over the pillars in the ground - all this without bearing facade or exterior buttresses. The result of this ingenious solution is spectacular: the pillars and arches supported by them transform the interior of the temple into a stone forest of palm trees, lots of light streaming in through large windows and the vault.
The vertical and partly inclined pillars are decorated with grooves. It creates the impression that the material constituting the pillars has been stretched. At the top the pillars branch out so that each can support multiple points of the ceiling. All sections of the roof are supported by such branched columns.
The columns are made of materials of different hardness. The longest and thickest columns are made of red porphyry, a very hard volcanic rock. The dark, somewhat smaller pillars are made of basalt, granite columns supporting the lighter and the outermost row of pillars in the church building consist of a relatively soft rock from the mountain of Barcelona, Montjuic. The "smallest" pillars support the chancel.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia constitutes the essence of Gaudí’s architecture: there is no model within architecture for the vault-and-pillar system.
The Sagrada Familia's five naves
The layout of the church has the shape of a Latin cross - with enormous dimensions. The Sagrada Familia is one of the world's largest Church buildings: from the entrance to the apse it is 90 metres, the five naves are limited by a 60 metre long and 45 metre wide transept. The four side naves are 7.5 metres wide each, the main nave is 15 metres - exactly twice as wide. The vault of the main nave is 45 metres high, and the side aisles are 30 metres high.
Construction of the naves was started in 1987, based on models that were created by Antoni Gaudí, and which were not destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.
In the outermost naves, the chancels are both situated in a gallery. These provide space for over 1,500 singers.
In contrast to the Gothic style Gaudí’s design requires no supporting side walls, and heavy vault: he used this freedom to incorporate numerous windows that allow plenty of natural light inside.
The apse of the Sagrada Familia
Within architecture an Apse is known as one half of a dome roofed area. In a church, it is usually the area where the altar stands.
Immediately after the completion of the crypt Gaudí had the apse built above. The Gothic-style apse is surrounded by seven chapels and two side stairs to the left and right.
These lead to spiral staircases from the crypt and continue up into the facades. As an indication of the spiral staircase you see two big stone snails crawling down the wall on the outer walls of the apse. The inside walls of the apse are decorated with angels' heads and tears that should remind one of the suffering of Jesus.
The apse was completed in 1893 by a huge crowned dome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which are supported by massive columns. The entire apse and dome are flooded with light; it is very bright for Gothic Architecture.
In the centre is the raised altar, crowned by the Latin cross with a canopy, decorated with vines and grapes of a vine, as Gaudí's only concession to the traditional church design. Behind the altar are the organ pipes, which, although they have very large dimensions, represent very delicate work.
Address
Mallorca, 401
www.sagradafamilia.org
Arrival
Metro: Sagrada Familia (L2, L5)
Bus Turístic: Sagrada Familia
Opening times
November-February: 9.00-18.00
March: 9.00-19.00
April-September: 9.00-20.00
Oktober: 9.00-19.00
25 and 26 December,
1 and 6 January: 9.00-14.00
There are sometimes long queues at the checkout.
Admission
Admission: €15.00
Audio guide: €7.00
Children up to 10 years: free admission
Students: €1300
Seniors 65 years: €11.00
Disabled (65%): free admission (+1 accompanying person)
Lift ride + Audio guide: €14.50
Guided tour including admission: from 34.00 €
With the ticket you can view Gaudí's workshop next to the building of the Museum of the Sagrada Familia.
Tips for visiting the Sagrada Familia
For a visit you should plan at least 1-1.5 hours. The Sagrada Familia is the most visited monument in Spain. Therefore we recommend to book the tickets in advance. Or you book a guided visit of the Sagrada Familia without waiting in a queues.
Sagrada Familia's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.
The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona's cathedral, over Gaudí's design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí's death disregarded his design, and the 2007 proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain's high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."
The Basilica of the Sagrada Família was the inspiration of a bookseller, Josep Maria Bocabella, founder of Asociación Espiritual de Devotos de San José (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph).
After a visit to the Vatican in 1872, Bocabella returned from Italy with the intention of building a church inspired by that at Loreto. The apse crypt of the church, funded by donations, was begun 19 March 1882, on the festival of St Joseph, to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, whose plan was for a Gothic revival church of a standard form. The apse crypt was completed before Villar's resignation on 18 March 1883, when Gaudí assumed responsibility for its design, which he changed radically. Antoni Gaudí began work on the church in 1883 but was not appointed Architect Director until 1884.
Construction
On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked: "My client is not in a hurry." When Gaudí died in 1926, the basilica was between 15 and 25 percent complete.After Gaudí's death, work continued under the direction of Domènec Sugrañes i Gras until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Parts of the unfinished basilica and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The present design is based on reconstructed versions of the plans that were burned in a fire as well as on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The illumination was designed by Carles Buigas.
The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades. Barcelona-born Jordi Fauli took over as chief architect in 2012.
Construction in early 1988
The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. As of 2006, work concentrated on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave, which will become the Glory façade.
The church shares its site with the Sagrada Família Schools building, a school originally designed by Gaudí in 1909 for the children of the construction workers. Relocated in 2002 from the eastern corner of the site to the southern corner, the building now houses an exhibition
Construction status
Chief architect Jordi Fauli announced in October 2015 that construction is 70 percent complete and has entered its final phase of raising six immense towers. The towers and most of the church's structure are to be completed by 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death; decorative elements should be complete by 2030 or 2032. Visitor entrance fees of 15–20 euros ($17–22) finance the annual construction budget of 25 million euros ($28.38 million).
Computer-aided design technology has been used to accelerate construction of the building. Current technology allows stone to be shaped off-site by a CNC milling machine, whereas in the 20th century the stone was carved by hand.
In 2008, some renowned Catalan architects advocated halting construction, to respect Gaudí's original designs, which although they were not exhaustive and were partially destroyed, have been partially reconstructed in recent years.
A 2010 exhibition, "Gaudí Unseen, Completing La Sagrada Família" at the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt am Main, describes the current construction methods and future plans for the Sagrada Família.
Consecration
The main nave was covered and an organ installed in mid-2010, allowing the still-unfinished building to be used for religious services. The church was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 7 November 2010 in front of a congregation of 6,500 people. A further 50,000 people followed the consecration Mass from outside the basilica, where more than 100 bishops and 300 priests were on hand to offer Holy Communion. There are currently no regularly scheduled Masses celebrated at the basilica, although visitors may pray at the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament and Penitence. Occasionally, Mass is celebrated, although attendance requires an invitation. When Masses are scheduled, instructions to obtain an invitation are posted on the basilica's website.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia
The church of the Sagrada Familia is a five-naved basilica. The central nave rises above the others significantly. To each nave a door is assigned to the unfinished glory facade. There are also two side portals that lead to the penance chapel and baptistery. Behind the nave, in the apse, is the altar, in the light of the many windows of the apse.
In the same way that the façades carry a rich symbology, the layout of the church is also full of symbols. Every door, every column, and almost every area has its own concrete or symbolic significance. This symbolism refers to the individual Catalan dioceses and Spanish dioceses, to every church in Latin America, on each of the five continents, to the apostles, to the great religious founders and most revered saints, the theological virtues, the sacraments, and more.
The vault-and-pillar system inside the basilica
The first drafts of the naves were similar in their basic features to the Gothic style, but without additional support and buttress. In this original design, the walls were still the main elements of each column, and were indispensable for the stability of the building. Gaudí's studies of stability were groundbreaking: the architect created a knotted rope construction in which the columns correspond to the ropes. He turned the construction of the pressure points and hung small weights. In this way he was able to simulate the pressure gradients in the columns.
The result of his research is a tree-like column structure. The columns are inclined and branched-like trees. The weight will be routed directly over the pillars in the ground - all this without bearing facade or exterior buttresses. The result of this ingenious solution is spectacular: the pillars and arches supported by them transform the interior of the temple into a stone forest of palm trees, lots of light streaming in through large windows and the vault.
The vertical and partly inclined pillars are decorated with grooves. It creates the impression that the material constituting the pillars has been stretched. At the top the pillars branch out so that each can support multiple points of the ceiling. All sections of the roof are supported by such branched columns.
The columns are made of materials of different hardness. The longest and thickest columns are made of red porphyry, a very hard volcanic rock. The dark, somewhat smaller pillars are made of basalt, granite columns supporting the lighter and the outermost row of pillars in the church building consist of a relatively soft rock from the mountain of Barcelona, Montjuic. The "smallest" pillars support the chancel.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia constitutes the essence of Gaudí’s architecture: there is no model within architecture for the vault-and-pillar system.
The Sagrada Familia's five naves
The layout of the church has the shape of a Latin cross - with enormous dimensions. The Sagrada Familia is one of the world's largest Church buildings: from the entrance to the apse it is 90 metres, the five naves are limited by a 60 metre long and 45 metre wide transept. The four side naves are 7.5 metres wide each, the main nave is 15 metres - exactly twice as wide. The vault of the main nave is 45 metres high, and the side aisles are 30 metres high.
Construction of the naves was started in 1987, based on models that were created by Antoni Gaudí, and which were not destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.
In the outermost naves, the chancels are both situated in a gallery. These provide space for over 1,500 singers.
In contrast to the Gothic style Gaudí’s design requires no supporting side walls, and heavy vault: he used this freedom to incorporate numerous windows that allow plenty of natural light inside.
The apse of the Sagrada Familia
Within architecture an Apse is known as one half of a dome roofed area. In a church, it is usually the area where the altar stands.
Immediately after the completion of the crypt Gaudí had the apse built above. The Gothic-style apse is surrounded by seven chapels and two side stairs to the left and right.
These lead to spiral staircases from the crypt and continue up into the facades. As an indication of the spiral staircase you see two big stone snails crawling down the wall on the outer walls of the apse. The inside walls of the apse are decorated with angels' heads and tears that should remind one of the suffering of Jesus.
The apse was completed in 1893 by a huge crowned dome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which are supported by massive columns. The entire apse and dome are flooded with light; it is very bright for Gothic Architecture.
In the centre is the raised altar, crowned by the Latin cross with a canopy, decorated with vines and grapes of a vine, as Gaudí's only concession to the traditional church design. Behind the altar are the organ pipes, which, although they have very large dimensions, represent very delicate work.
Address
Mallorca, 401
www.sagradafamilia.org
Arrival
Metro: Sagrada Familia (L2, L5)
Bus Turístic: Sagrada Familia
Opening times
November-February: 9.00-18.00
March: 9.00-19.00
April-September: 9.00-20.00
Oktober: 9.00-19.00
25 and 26 December,
1 and 6 January: 9.00-14.00
There are sometimes long queues at the checkout.
Admission
Admission: €15.00
Audio guide: €7.00
Children up to 10 years: free admission
Students: €1300
Seniors 65 years: €11.00
Disabled (65%): free admission (+1 accompanying person)
Lift ride + Audio guide: €14.50
Guided tour including admission: from 34.00 €
With the ticket you can view Gaudí's workshop next to the building of the Museum of the Sagrada Familia.
Tips for visiting the Sagrada Familia
For a visit you should plan at least 1-1.5 hours. The Sagrada Familia is the most visited monument in Spain. Therefore we recommend to book the tickets in advance. Or you book a guided visit of the Sagrada Familia without waiting in a queues.
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