Sagrada Familía basilica in Barcelona inaugurates the towers of the Evangelists

[Michie]

BARCELONA, Spain (OSV News) — It seemed like one of Antonio Gaudí’s dreams come true.

On Nov. 12, the papal nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, blessed the towers of the Evangelists of the famous Sagrada Familía Basilica in Barcelona. Gaudí, a legendary Catalan architect, started working on the now-iconic basilica 140 years ago. Five generations now have watched the church’s progress.

Gaudí was a man of prayer. The anecdote goes that when he was entrusted with the restoration of the cathedral on the Spanish island of Mallorca in 1903, 20 years into his work on the Sagrada Familía, he spent a full year going to the church in the mornings to absorb it. Only then, when he had observed, felt, touched and prayed over the place, he presented his project to the bishop.

Continued below.

Sagrada Familía basilica in Barcelona inaugurates the towers of the Evangelists

It seemed like one of Antonio Gaudí's dreams come true. On Nov. 12, the papal nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, blessed the towers of the Evangelists of the famous Sagrada Familía basilica in Barcelona. Gaudí, a legendary Catalan architect, started working on the now-iconic basilica...

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Learning always]

Author George Orwell called it "one of the most hideous buildings in the world".
Jonathan Glancey, who works for BBC, said it looks like a "gingerbread house baked by the wickedest witch of all".
Architect Enric Massip, a member of the Advisory Committee to the City of Barcelona, said it is “an artificially inflated space lacking in soul”.
I cannot agree with them, I think it is quite awesome, quite interesting, as many people who don't attend Mass there said. And I don't reckon its ceiling looks like the belly of a lobster, as some friend said.
Picasso's paintings -- they are awesome too.
Gehry's buildings -- they are awesome too.

 

[Hamlet7768]

Let's go! Those towers look awesome. I went to the basilica a couple years ago and can only describe it as astonishing. Admittedly, after seeing all the magnificent retablos behind the old high altars of other Spanish churches, the altar in the Sagrada Familia is...pretty underwhelming, especially in comparison to the rest of the church.

My favorite two-part piece of trivia about it is this: when completed, it will be the tallest Christian church in the world, finally taking back the title from the Ulm Minster in Germany, a Lutheran church (though it had been started by Catholics--it, too, took a long time to complete). However, it will be about one meter shorter than Montjuïc Hill in Barcelona, because Gaudi did not believe his work should surpass God's. That sort of faith-informed art is definitely worth praising and cultivating.