Any trip to Barcelona is not complete without visiting this giant piece of art. Admittedly at first I believed Segrada Familia to be a glorified piece of dessert art but upon seeing it in person I am ashamed to ever have thought so.
The outside is open to the public and definitely deserves a walk around to take in the deeply symbolic sculptures and architectural wonder. However, you must go inside to be truly awed.
Tickets inside are available by reservation online and we decided to take the first slot in the morning to avoid the long lines which rapidly formed up as we waited for the church to open.
The whole design of the Segrada Familia is supposed to use nature as its primary inspiration. Gaudi believed God was the ultimate architect and by following God's example you could achieve the highest form of art. He employed several unique designs he brought out solely from what he saw in the natural world. While on a free tour later on the trip our tour guide showed us how Guadi used nature to reinvent the columns of the Segrada Familia. He was able to keep the architectural integrity of using straight lines while maintaining the artistic expression of the natural world
The massive stairways mimicked twirling vines and the colors of the stain glass windows were much more vibrant than any other cathedral I'd ever been too.
Gaudi was a deeply religious man and ended up giving up all other projects to pursue the Segrada Family. As a result the Segrada is caked with symbolism. The central pillars of the church represent the gosphels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. These pillars also showed off another natural feature of Gaudi design in the tree like supports that connect to the ceiling.
Next time: Around Barcelona
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