By AJ Bafer
Spectators admire the main entrance to La Sagrada Família.
"Would you mind taking a photo of us?” Neenu Thussu asked outside the temple of the sacred family.
She didn’t specify any angle and emphasized that the interaction be quick. She would waste no time she and her daughter, Natasha Thussu Dhar, could be using to gawk at Antoni Gaudí’s work.
They were not alone in their desire for a snapshot. A walk past any side of Barcelona’s La Sagrada Família is a maze through upward-gazing observers, many equipped with selfie sticks or asserting their own artistic value by posing in front of it.
A determined tourist documents the Death of Christ – no selfie stick necessary.
Such a decision does not detract from the temple’s own presence, though. Dhar, visiting from Berkeley, California, had a standard first reaction.
“It’s over the top, but it’s the perfect balance of art and good architecture,” she said of the basilica. “It’s really beautiful.”
Who could blame them for capturing the moment? It is likely one of, if not the most impressive building you will ever see. And it’s still missing a third of itself. Any attempt to adequately describe La Sagrada Família would be a slight on actually experiencing it.
To try to convey how imposing it is to see such a structure after ascending the metro steps or rounding a street corner, how it dominates the skyline, attracts natural light like honey a bear, incites awe in first-time tourists and curious locals alike, would be as foolhardy an endeavor as Gaudí believing he could fulfill his complete concept within a lone lifetime.
His vision extends past his time on Earth. A discussion of La Sagrada Família’s exterior, still under construction and plagued by an eyesore of a crane, could be an architectural trilogy that would put Don Quixote’s length to shame. Not even that foolhardy knight of fame could mistake the citadel for anything but a masterpiece.
The pigeon prophet.
But after circling the Life and Death of Christ, which could be done for hours on end and still yield new details – note the vigilant pigeon often nesting under Mary’s chin, crowning the head of baby Jesus – consider shifting your attention to what those wonderful walls safeguard.
The Holy Road
The church’s interior is just as mind-boggling, ripe with biblical imagery yet nondenominational, intentionally constructed as a place of worship open and attractive to anyone from any walk.
The €26 entry fee is far from steep; save it for here, as opposed to the predatory souvenir shops encircling La Sagrada’s square, praying you’ll take home a cheap print or model of the structure instead of entering it.
While a work in progress, do not push your luck by waiting for the building’s completion.
“Now they’re focusing on the highest tours,” one tour guide said in reference to La Sagrada’s extensive construction team. “I don’t think they have a chance to finish that any time soon.”
It may be true that any attempt to adequately describe La Sagrada Família would be a fool’s errand. But it is worth taking a walkthrough, if only to prod you to see it in person.
After checking through security, you will have a chance to glance at the temple’s intricate display of Christ’s birth – and related stonework featuring the Twelve Apostles, a common theme throughout the structure – a doorway easily seven times your size will beckon.
The beauteous display of Etsuro Sotoo's craftsmanship features various bugs and doves between its flora.
Look up to the floral arrangement while passing through, an arrangement of ivy leaves tinted seafoam and broken up by pastel petals. While forged by architect Etsuro Sotoo long after the original architect’s passing, they foreshadow Gaudí’s choice to place heavy emphasis on nature in the temple’s interior.
Features on the front of La Sagrada Família (from left to right): A precursing stone tribute; the reflection an awestruck man framed by Sotoo's ornamentation, the object of his admiration; a sea turtle representative of stability outside the temple's entrance.
The first side room would be impressive enough an atrium on its own. Every interpretation of the Holy Mother and other figures is exquisitely unique, their features, garments and ornaments etched precisely enough to mimic frosting. Light is purposefully allowed in, each ray of sunlight icing on a royal wedding cake.
Wave hello to the turtles flanking the main entrance. These subaquatic sentinels are the first of many beasts you will meet inside.
Eden
The temple's kaleidoscopic ceiling displays plant blossoms and sunbursts.
It’s OK to gasp. Your expressions of admiration will be lost in the expanse as your neck cranes back, almost involuntarily, in your attempt to take in the room’s magnitude. Redwood-sized columns reach to the stars, breaking out into colossal capillaries, a staircase from humanity to the heavens.
The foundation is a prime representation of blending aesthetics and efficiency. The pillars are not just for looks, supporting the ambitious, vaulted ceiling while acting as a tree-inspired centerpiece to Gaudí’s naturescape.
The church's centerpiece, a crucifix tribute to Jesus Christ, distills artful simplicity at the center of extravagance.
From the angel, lion, bull and eagle towers representing the Evangelists, to the statues of Joseph and Mary beside the central crucified Christ – all decorated with visual metaphor, like ears of wheat and bunches of grapes representing the eucharist – every square inch of the behemoth basilica contains detail and reflects artistic intent.
The mesmerizing glass windows, accompanied by construction equipment indicative of La Sagrada Família's perpetual push for progress.
One of particular note: the stained-glass windows. Created by glazier Joan Vila-Grau with Gaudí’s contrast-laden blueprints as a baseline, they are as iconic as they are encapsulating, Bathing in the light shone through the transparent portals is one of La Sagrada Família’s most exultant pleasures. Schedule your entry for the afternoon to experience tinted sunshine at its ripest.
A Final Resting Place
One last attribute, outside of Gaudí’s vision and control, hides in plain sight; beneath the elaborate glasswork, between the columns, infesting every square foot of La Sagrada Família and cutting through the holy air like a spirit. Say cheese – like outside in Plaça de Gaudí, you will not be able to take a step without unintentionally photobombing visitors hellbent on damning their experiences to the digital realm.
In a typical crowd within the church's walls, you will find amateur photographers vying for a piece of the moment to take home.
This might sound bitter, but it’s more of a self-critical grasp at lost potential (notice the flurry of photos and captions accompanying this post). The snapshots simply do not do it justice, somewhat disrupting the serenity of Gaudí's magnum opus in the process.
But the atmosphere is not all that flawed. It is a way to expose the architectural treasure to those who are not able to make the pilgrimage to Barcelona. Also, the church offers a paparazzi-free, international mass every Sunday – if you're willing to wait a few hours in a queue at the break of dawn, of course.
Any day of the week, La Sagrada Família's most rewarding moments can still be found away from the camera clicks and selfie sticks.
Steps and stained glass near the Crypt, yet another instance of La Sagrada Família's functional beauty.
Take a trek to the left of the central-crucified Christ for a window into the lower level for worship and Gaudí’s place of rest. Walk a bit further and enter the Chapel of the Eucharist, an area designated for meditation and prayer, where photography and speaking are prohibited. In the company of just seven pews and the parted lips of the angelic busts lining the wall, you can find a pure appreciation of La Sagrada Família’s peaceful potential.
No matter how you conduct your visit, head to La Sagrada Família to discover the divine. As for the bold, consider leaving your camera at home.
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