La Sagrada Familia. The Sacred Family.

I had thought I'd get out and about with my camera today, Good Friday, and take some photos of churches for an Easter blog. But you know that old saying, 'Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans'. And today, Life decided on rain.


So instead of English churches, how about a cathedral in sunny Spain? Specifically, Barcelona, home of one of the most amazing, complex buildings I've ever seen- la Sagrada Familia.

La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family) is a church built by the people, for the people, of Barcelona. It's construction has been paid for solely by donations. Antonio Gaudi, a devout Catholic, was hired as the architect. Since it was to be the people's church, Gaudi's concern with the welfare of the poor and working classes made him an appropriate choice. In 1909, he incorporated the Temporary School into the design, for the children of the workers and the local population.

Building the fabulous cathedral began in 1882 and as you probably guessed from the presence of cranes, it's not finished yet. In fact, it won't be finished until about 2026. Gaudi died in 1926, after an accident, but even if he had lived, he would never have seen the completion. It is conjectured that he planned it that way, because he wanted there to be a long-term source of work for the people of Barcelona.

And as he once said: " My client is not in a hurry".

GGaudi Gaudi loved, and was inspired by, the natural world. I think when he started this project he had a divine vision. When you walk inside this amazing, exuberant building, you can see how instead of relying on geometry, he has incorporated nature's curves and angles into his design. It's almost as if he has used God's own masterpiece to honour God. The colonnades resemble the stems of plants and the ceiling is covered in enormous flowers. There's no way I can convey to you the sheer grandeur and splendid size of the place, but I felt as I imagine a very small insect might feel in amongst a field of giant sunflowers.

Every detail of Gaudi's design is graceful- even the (unfinished) stairs are beautiful. And here's a jaw-dropping thing- despite the fact that there are machines and scaffolding everywhere, builders with hard hats and hammers, piles of masonry stacked on the floor- none of the chaos detracts from the sheer wonder of the place. That's how awesome it is.

The outside is even more fantastic. At first it looks like some mad nightmare. But in fact the seeming jumble of intricate carvings and designs tell the story of the life of Christ and the history of faith. When it's finished, there will be 18 of those spindle shaped towers. They represent the Sacred Family: twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and the tallest tower, Jesus Christ.

I've been lucky that I've travelled a lot and seen some wonderful places. Only a few of them have affected me the way this building has done; for me, it's on a level with the Grand Canyon.


In writing about it, I've chosen words that are often over-used in every day speech- fabulous, fantastic, amazing and awesome. We hear those words every day. Too often they are applied to subjects that are truly mundane. But for a creation of this magnificence and wonder- that's what those words were designed for; it's where they belong. If you can, go and see it.



And have a Happy Easter!