In 1872, Josep Maria Bocabella visited Rome and gave the Pope a silver reproduction of a picture of the Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family) in the name of the Association of Devotees to Saint Joseph. He planned to collect money to build a new cathedral in the middle of Barcelona. Despite the fact that he raised 172,000 pesetas (1,034 Euros), which he kept under the floor tiles of his bookstore, he needed to find a less central location. The official birth date of the temple of the Sagrada Familia is the 19th of March 1881, falling on the festival of Saint Joseph.
The first architect only lasted for one year. In 1883, Antoni Gaudi, who at 31 had already established himself as a well known architect, was hired to take over.
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| The magic square adds up to 33, the age of Jesus when he died. |
La Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 142 years, and is now in the process of being renovated and constructed at the same time. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked: "My client is not in a hurry." When Gaudí died in 1926, the basilica was between 15 and 25 percent complete.
We took an elevator to the top. The front facade and the spires are undergoing renovation.
I took tons of photos inside of the church, but this is an instance where the pieces to not create the whole. If you have a chance, visit Sagrada Familia.
La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia again
A tortoise holds up one pillar on one side of the front door and a sea turtle holds up the other.
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| A photo without all the scaffolding. |
This is the school that Gaudi built for the workers' children. It was built to be a cheap and temporary building.
Go visit La Sagrada Familia.
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