The Sagrada Familia

"The Temple [of The Sagrada FamÐ"­lia] grows slowly, but this has always been the case with everything destined to have a long life. Hundred-year-old oak trees take many years to grow tall; on the other hand, reeds grow quickly, but in autumn the wind knocks them down and there is no more to be said"1. These words, spoken by Antoni Gaudi about his life-long work, Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada FamÐ"­lia, are a means to justify the extremely long time needed for the construction of the Sagrada FamÐ"­lia, while referencing the themes and structural concepts he borrowed from nature in his designs. While this logical explanation may give comfort to some, others doubt the temple's eventual completion, as its construction has just passed 123 years, with roughly half of the temple completed.1 Although churches and cathedrals have always endured long periods of construction, the plan set forth by Gaudi is of such an elaborate nature as to set the temple in a league of its own. The drive of Gaudi and others involved in the project are very representative of the Catalan people. Catalonia, and specifically Barcelona, has historically been a successful and prosperous region in Western Europe, a leader in politics and trade, but lost much of its importance and independence in modern times. Catalan nationality persevered, and Barcelona sought ways to reaffirm their identity and show the world it is a city rich with life and culture. While many projects would follow, perhaps the best example of this desire to show the world the worth of Catalonia is embodied in the Sagrada FamÐ"­lia. The grand magnitude and elaborate attention to detail involved in the construction of the Sagrada FamÐ"­lia are a clear portrayal of the ideal of Catalan pride.

The historical setting at the time of the temple's birth is extremely important in appreciating its value to the Catalan culture. Catalonia's legacy as a great power in Europe began to be reduced in the 15th century with the Ferdinand of Aragon's marriage to Isabella of Castile, at which time Catalonia effectively became part of the Castile state. When the last of the Habsburgs died without a successor, several nations attempted to install their own candidates on the throne. Catalonia sided with the Austrian candidate, Archduke Carlos, who lost to the Bourbon absolutist Felipe V imposed by France. Barcelona decided to resist the new crown in Madrid, but without the support of their allies they were beaten into submission. Attempting to squash the Catalan identity, Felipe banned writing and teaching in Catalan.2 Later, the attacks of Napoleon in the early 19th century along with the Romanticism movement began to invoke sentiments of Catalan nationalism, resulting in the recovery of their language.1 "La RenaixenÐ"§a" emerged in this time, and with it a desire to bring about a resurgence of culture in Barcelona amongst the smog of the factories and the overcrowding of the city. One group that started in this time was the, "AsociaciÐ"Ñ-n Espiritual de Devotos de San JosÐ"©" (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph), whose objective was to achieve, through the protection of St. Joseph, the triumph of the Catholic Church in a time in which the phenomenon of dechristianization was imposed by the Industrial Revolution and the accompanying social changes."3 In 1872, six years after the founding of the association, founder Josep Maria Bocabella went to Rome to offer the Pope a silver image of the Holy Family.4 While returning, he passed through the town of Loreto where he witnessed its beautiful church, and was inspired to build an expiatory temple in Barcelona dedicated to the Holy family. The association searched for a centrally located plot of land, but was forced to settle on a plot away from the city's center, bordered by the streets of Marina, Provenza, Mallorca and CerdeÐ"±a, due to their budget. The problem of an ample budget is a theme that remained with the temple throughout its construction and even threatens its completion today. The first stone was placed on March 19, 1882, in an elaborate ceremony attended by the bishop of Barcelona, Josep M. Urquinouna i Bidot, the Bishop of Vic, the Captain General and other authorities, the architect F.P. de Villar, members of the Association of Followers of St. Joseph and various citizens and contributors. On the first stone was inscribed the words, "Awaken indifferent hearts from their slumber. Exalt the faith. Promote charity. Invoke the Lord to have mercy on this country, and encourage by its Catholic roots to think, preach and practice virtue."1 The first architect of the project, Francisco de Paula de Villar, originally designed the temple as a purely neo-gothic structure. Less than a year into the project, the budget again played a role in the future of the Sagrada FamÐ"­lia, but this time it was clearly a change for the better. Del Villar wanted to use ashlar columns in his design, a technique far more expensive than building up the interior with rubblework, than covering them with ashlar. This started arguments with the Foundation, who criticized De Villar for spending too much unnecessary money on the project. De Villar resigned because he was not happy that his plans were not being followed, and the foundation chose 31 year old architect Antoni Gaudi as successor. Although the Foundation and Gaudi were equally excited to be working together on this project, neither party had any idea just how magnificent of a masterpiece they were destined to create.

Gaudi's plans adapted the work begun by de Villar with some quite major changes. The floor plan follows the shape of a Latin cross. Gaudi would have wished to place the axis diagonally, but was forced to stick with the placement designed by de Villar due to the existing construction of the crypt and the beginnings of the temple. Gaudi's design has a basilical floor plan, with five naves and three transepts. Perhaps the most revolutionary element in Gaudi's design is the columns within the naves. Departing from the gothic idea of support through exterior flying buttresses, Gaudi instead carried out extensive studies to design interior columns that could support the weight. Gaudi said he disliked the idea of flying buttresses because, "it only made it appear that the walls held the weight, because in reality it fell upon the flying buttresses, which were like the crutches of a cripple."1 Instead, Gaudi turned to nature as he often did for guidance, and modeled his columns and vaults after the trees and foliage, respectively, of a forest. "...light penetrates through the ports of these hyperboloids [vaults] like light through the foliage of a forest."1 The vaults and most of the columns have been finished, and finishing