Sagrada Familia Cathedral

1. Construction time: Starting in 1882
2. Construction sites: Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, Spain

The Sagrada Familia Cathedral is being built around 1912, when the wall at the semicircle at the end of the church and the Eastern façade is completed and the tower begins to rise. It may seem paradoxical, but it can be as simple as the left and right side of the coin: in Barcelone during the 19th century, the church was collapsed in the name of progress, and the outbreak of violence created destruction, Looting and sabotaging religious works. But also in this city, near the end of the 19th century, the construction of a massive church was carried out with the intention of reviving ancient idealist models in Gothic churches that had just become one The most typical illustrations in the history of contemporary religious architecture.

The initiative for this grand scheme comes from the most modest religious organization devoted to St. Joseph's worship. President of the organization, Josep Maria Bacebella announced the plan to build a church for the Holy Family, Lord Jésus, Mary and Joseph as a model for all Christian families. The church is of a sinful nature, financial resources mobilized from charity and donations.

  The first round of money was not enough to buy land near the old city center, so the site selected at that time was the Barcelona suburb, in the place called Ensanche, the city began to grow quickly here according to Urban planning of engineers Ildefons Cefdà. The land purchased for 170,000 Pesetas (about 700 pounds), and the first stone symbolized the start of the St. Joseph's festival, March 19, 1882.

The work started under the direction of architect Francisco Villary Lozano, and the original Gothic design was inspired directly from the cathedral of Loreto in Italy. But, the project was completely revised in late 1883, Villar was replaced by Antoni Gaudí .

Architect Antoni Gaudí during the religious celebration in Barcelona, ​​in 1924. Gautí took the architecture degree in 1878, undertaking the Sagrada Familia cathedral, and as his career began to grow, he remained intimately attached to the project until his death in 1926. From 1918 onwards, he devoted his mind to the Sagrada Familia cathedral, making houses and workshops in the church compound. Because the church can be considered Gaudí's architectural peak, a building that gathers all the experience and initiatives of his entire career.

Style and mental nature

Gaudí's architecture was born in the context of the New Art, although his strong personality distanced his work from the typical characteristics of that style. In Gaudí's work are elements that foreshadow other contemporary styles, such as expressionism in his use of materials .

Despite all these innovative concepts and the prediction of postmodernism, the astonishing fact remains in the Sagrada Familia cathedral that is basically Gothic work in balance and more manipulation. Other architects in the Middle Ages.The pillar of the wall between the church rests on the inside becomes its own pillar against the wall - the rational development of the thrust and anti-thrust system . Gaudí modeled according to the furniture diagram without wires, plastered on the outside and hung his head down. When he removed the mortar, it would create the current design. The technical name of this structural dome is "hook chain" (from catena, chain). Christmas façade of Sagrada Familia cathedral, with 3 gate roofs and dense sculptures.The design of the church is full of religious symbols: 4 towers, among all the last 12 towers symbolizing apostles.

One of Gaudí's most notable features is his ability to create shapes. The shape seems bizarre and arbitrary but is actually based on logical reasoning. The architecture of Sagrada Familia cathedral developed from a solid geometric foundation, the whole building is adjusted to a fixed scale system. The main shape is parabolicoid and hyperboloid , which Gaudí experimented with, using today's computer-aided design (CAD) system to calculate that.

The aspect of Gaudí's architecture expressed in the Sagrada Familia cathedral is a sense of honor of deep faith . Although his legitimacy was argued by some, the 2000 Church began a process to demise him. The Sagrada Familia Cathedral was designed as an expression of the Church's victory over the conflict and volatility of the modern world and for this reason Gaudí wanted to place the cathedral in an overwhelming position on Barcelona.

It is this religious motive, along with the concept of competitive architecture with nature, used as a basis for understanding the rich symbolism in the building.

Actual data:

1. Maximum exterior height (according to design): 170m
2. Interior height: 90m
3. Maximum width (intersection): 60m
4. Width of main center: 45m
5. Height between:
   - Middle: 45m
   - Party: 30m

Diagram and symbolism

The church tried to reach higher, thinking of a mountain, sometimes liking Montserrat, Color correction of Sagrada Familia cathedral. Cypress, on top of the main part of the Christmas façade symbolizes the Christian church. a rock formation near Barcerlona where an important religious temple is located. The highest peak of the Sagrada Familia cathedral is a huge cupola or bowl of roof, intended to reach a height of 170m when completed . Around the roof of the bowl, there are 4 other twists, even if not built, up to 130m high, symbolizing the 4 Saints, while a 5th spiral, 140m high above the house of the semicircle at the end of the symbolic church for Virgin Mary. Vertical threads are completed by 4 towers on the top of each of the 3 facades. These 12 towers represent 12 apostolic saints, each about 100m high.

The eastern façade, facing the rising sun, symbolizes the Lord's Christmas, while the west façade faces the setting sun, symbolizing the Passion of Lord Jésus. The main facade faces south to symbolize Heaven. The interior of the church is intended to simulate forests, columns like trees sticking out at a certain height to support the arched roof, formed by a rich geometric system with many star-like shapes.

Gaudí designed the overall scheme for the project around 1890. In 1892 began construction of the Christmas façade, the only facade constructed under Gaudí's direct supervision . When he died, he completed a detailed diagram of the tribulation façade and the space between the church and the symbolic program and depictions the statue for the entire compound of the church. The main reference to the project is models in the ratio 1:10 and 1:25, destroyed in 1936 when the Sagrada Familia cathedral was looted in the Spanish Civil War, but later overlapped tu. From 1936-1952, construction work was postponed, and rebuilt with the motto had to be similar to Gaudí's scheme as much as possible, despite accepting a combination of new technologies and materials such as concrete.

At the same time, there are many objections to the continuation of the Sagrada Familia cathedral, and the value of the project often raises questions, both for religious reasons - what significance the church has in the world. modern?, and aesthetic reasons - is it reasonable to continue Gaudí's own personal style, or should it incorporate new artistic languages?

Construction takes place through many ups and downs, because sponsors want to have financial resources from charity and personal property when they die as a will. In 1976, the tribulation façade with 4 towers was completed, Josep M. Subirachs sculptor continued the decoration with the sculpture of this facade since 1986. In 2002, the project is under construction to the part. In the middle of the church, the roof is partially covered. The date of completion of the Sagrada Familia cathedral is unknown.

The current Sagrada Familia cathedral looks from the east.
The Christmas façade and the wall of the semicircular chapel of the church
completed when Gaudí was alive, the middle space (left) was under construction.