| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
It is a Roman Catholic basilica (not a cathedral - the cathedral of Barcelona is the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, a Gothic building of the late Middle Ages). After disagreements between the founding association and the original architect Francesc del Villar , Gaudí was assigned the project in 1884 and created an entirely new design. He worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour; on the subject of the extremely long construction, Gaudí is said to have joked, "My client is not in a hurry." Upon its completion, it will be the largest basilica in the world.
As the building proceeded higher and higher, the style got more and more fantastic with four spindle-shaped towers that can be likened to termites' nests or children's drip sand castles. They are crowned with geometrically shaped tops that were probably influenced by Cubism (they were finished around 1920). There are also many complicated decorations that are said to be in the style of Art Nouveau.
Gaudí died in 1926Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 See also 1926 in aviation 1926 in film 1926 in literature 1926 in mu. The towers were originally intended to be three times higher. Parts of the unfinished building and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the Spanish Civil WarTeruel, east of Madrid. For an article about the 1820-1823 civil war in Spain, see: Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823 The Spanish Civil War ( 1936 1939) was the result of complex political differences between the Republicans — supporters of the government of t. Gaudí left no further plans and work on the privately owned church has been episodic. Since 1940Events January-February January 5 FM radio is demonstrated to the FCC for the first time. January 6 World War II: Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the Poznan, Warthegau. January 12 World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland. February 2 F the architects Francesc Quintana , Puig Boada , and Lluís Gari have carried on the work. Sculptures by J. Busquets and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.
The design is based both on reconstructed versions of the lost plans and on modern adaptations.
Every part of the design is rich with mystic Christian symbolism, as Gaudí intended the church to be the "last great sanctuary of Christendom." Its most striking aspect are its spindle-shaped towers. A total of 18 tall towers are called for, representing in ascending order of height the 12 ApostleAlternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism The Christian Apostles were Jewish men who were "sent forth" (as indicated by the Greek word apostolos , by Jesus to preach Christianity to both Jews and Gentiles, across the world. He called unto him his disciples, the 4 Evangelists, the Virgin MaryGabriel delivering the Annunciation to Mary. Painting by El Greco (1575) In Christianity and Islam, Mary ( Judaeo-Aramaic Marym "Bitter"; Septuagint Greek Mariam Maria Arabic: Maryem is the mother of Jesus Christ and the betrothed of Joseph. Historicity M and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. The evangelists' towers will be surmounted by sculptures of their traditional symbols: a man, a bull, an eagle, and a lion. The central Christ tower will be surmounted by a giant crossA Greek cross (all arms of equal length), straight and rotated by 45 degrees. The bent cross or Swastika . A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars crossing each other at a 90° angle, dividing one or two of the lines in half. It is; the tower's total height will be one metre less than that of MontjuïcMontjuic Hill of the Jews in medieval Catalan or maybe a corruption of Latin Mons Jovicus that is, hill of Jupiter is a massive hill overlooking the harbor of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. There is a 17th century castle at the top. The top can be reached u, as Gaudí believed that his work should not surpass that of God. The lower towers are surmounted by bunches of grapes, representing spiritual fruit.
The church will have three grand façades: the Nativity façade, the Glory façade (yet to be completed), and the Passion façade. The Passion façade is especially striking for its spare, gaunt, tormented characters, including emaciated figures of Christ being flogged and on the crucifix. These controversial designs are the work of Josep Subirachs .
Themes throughout the decoration include words from the liturgy. The towers are decorated with words such as "Hosanna," "Excelsis," and "Sanctus;" the great doors of the Passion façade reproduce words from the Bible in various languages including Catalan; and the Glory façade is supposed to be decorated with the words from the Apostles' Creed.
Areas of the sanctuary will be designated to represent various concepts, such as saints, virtues, sins, and secular concepts such as regions of Spain, presumably with decoration to match.
Computer modelling has been necessary to describe the shapes of various elements such as the inner pillars of the church as Gaudí intended them. See also ' catenary'.