For the third time, we met up with friends who happened to be in Spain or Portugal while we were. Very cool. Our friends John and Katie Fones were here for New Years, so we connected with them to tour La Sagrada Familia. That’s John in the background making a funny face he has no idea is about to get published. His ever more eloquent wife is in front of him, actually listening to the audio guide!
The above is a depiction of what Sagrada Familia will look like upon completion. They are hoping to complete it on the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death, in 2026. I don’t think they are going to make it…..they still have 10 towers to go, including the largest one in the middle!
Here is a shot of the church from the exterior (actually from our Airbnb). It’s an important viewpoint, as the view from inside the church is oh so much different than that from the exterior.
I have to admit, I was not sure what to expect upon entering. Even though I knew about the exterior for years, I had no idea what the inside would look like. I was very surprised! Blown away even! This is without a doubt the most beautiful church….and the most beautiful building…..I have ever walked into!
Gaudi pulls in influenses from nature. The support columns for the church resemble trees on purpose.
Gaudi loves his church to be full of light.
This is a very crowded place. I have read that it is the 2nd most visited site in the world. #1 is the Great Wall of China.
As part of our ticket we were able to go up into the Nativity Facade. There are two facades that are currently assessible to tourists (Nativity and Passion facades). You have to pick which one when you buy your ticket. This is a source of much consternation on the internet. Bottom line is the Nativity Facade was the one completed by Gaudi, and has a bridge connecting two towers that you can cross. The Passion facade is one tower. Most Gaudi purists say Nativity. Here are some shots from the facade. Gaudi felt a lot of a church’s ornamentation should be on the outside, not the inside.
It’s interesting to me that many of the fanciful objects you can see from the towers in the facade can not be seen from anywhere else. He expected people to climb around the facades so they could view these.
A couple of shots inside the towers.
John and Katie on one of the abutments on the tower. The background didn’t turn out all that great, but in the one where it did, John had this look on his face that said “did I leave the stove on at home?”. Still, better than the first photo in this post.
Another exterior shot. Love the fruit piled up!
A shot down the spiral staircase.
Here is a shot of the Passion Facade.
The doors leading into the church from the Passion facade are very cool.
A final picture of us inside this gorgeous Gaudi masterpiece! This place is so cool!
Here is the Passion facade lit up at night.
You cannot come to Barcelona and NOT visit Sagrada Familia! It is truly amazing. Trust me, I’m an athiest…..would I direct you towards a church that wasn’t worth visiting?
Magnificent