Light and Nature to a Monumental Masterpiece

By Meredith Rideout

Light and nature. These are two simple elements in our world that can spur inspiration for skyscrapers, cathedrals, parks and so much more. One look at a sunrise can become a magnificent stained glass window, with pieces of cotton candy pink and blood orange peeking through. One look at a crowded forest can become a set of columns overlooking a beautiful Basilica, each one unique in style to mimic the feeling of a real forest in nature.

Who can take these simple elements of light and nature and create monumental masterpieces that stand the test of time? This would be the famous architect Antoni Gaudi.

Gaudi rarely drew detailed plans of his works. Instead, he preferred to create them as three-dimensional scale models.

History

Antoni Gaudi was one of the most well-known architects of the first half of the 20th century. Gaudi drew on a variety of sources such as light and nature to create extravagant, shape shifting structures.

Gaudi was one of the pioneering figures of Catalan Modernism, a movement that gained momentum in modern styles in artistic circles, among poets, writers and artists. This new style of architecture is reflected in many of Gaudi’s creations throughout Barcelona.

Park Guell is an example of one of Gaudi's architectural masterpieces. It is inspired by Catalan Modernism and located in Barcelona.

Gaudi is best known for his architectural genius in constructing the Basilica de la Sagrada Família. This popular tourist destination is still under construction today. The first stone was laid 140 years ago and the Basilica is said to be finished in 2026, on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.

During the Spanish Civil War, revolutionaries set fire to the Basilica and broke their way into Gaudi’s workshop, partially destroying his original architecture plans. These pictures show the Basilica’s construction in 1926, 2015 and 2018.

Gaudi was appointed architect for the Basilica in 1883, at just 31 years old. Gaudi worked hard to maintain the original architect’s style of a typical Gothic Cathedral, but separated from this style in many ways. Most notably, he wanted to get rid of the need for flying buttresses. Gaudi developed a system of angled columns and hyperboloid vaults, so the building could rely on interior elements like horizontal loads that are transferred through the Basilica’s huge columns.

Gaudi considered flying buttresses to be outdated, and they did not align with his vision for the Basilica.

The Crypt

In 1914, Gaudi decided to quit his outside architecture projects and work solely on Sagrada Família. He dedicated himself night and day to the completion of the Basilica until the day of his death. His main focus was on the crypt, which is a vault under the main floor of the church and the oldest piece of the Basilica.

Gaudi’s funeral was in the crypt two days after his death.

A tour guide for Sagrada Família named Maria Suarez said, “Gaudi even lived in the crypt for the last few days of his life in his personal workshop.” Gaudi wanted his legacy to be the crypt in Sagrada Família so he poured his heart into finishing it before his death. The crypt was the only piece of Sagrada Família that Gaudi lived to see completed.

The crypt is an underground level located beneath the apse. It is covered by a large vault where an outstanding sculpted polychrome image of the Annunciation of Mary is placed at the point where the largest arches meet.

This shows the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Gaudi utilized natural light in his neo-gothic design of the crypt. He intentionally placed large windows near the top of the vault so natural light could shine into the underground crypt.

Tourists must purchase another ticket in addition to their entry ticket to enter the underground crypt in Sagrada Família.

Gaudi used not only light and nature as his guide for designing the crypt, but also the Bible and liturgy as inspiration. Maria Suarez explained how the traditional style of the crypt differentiates it from the rest of the Basilica. She said, “You can feel the personal touch of God speaking through Gaudi when you enter the crypt.” Gaudi’s background of being a Roman Catholic is present in his contemporaries. Some people go as far as referring to Gaudi as “God’s Architect.”

Inside the Basilica

When entering the Basilica, you are instantly hit with beaming hues of red, green, blue and yellow shining through the stained glass. The blue and cooled tones of stained glass are near the front of the Basilica, for morning light to shine through during Sunday morning Mass. The warmer tones of stained glass face the west so tourists can watch the afternoon light gleaming into the Basilica. It is a captivating and spectacular sight.

The stained glass windows are important in creating a transcendent atmosphere and a place for reflection and introspection.

Once stepping into Sagrada Família, you no longer feel as if you’re in the busy city of Barcelona, but instead in a new location all together. Alisa Pedersen, a study abroad student from Denmark, explains the sensation as this: “You look up towards the ceiling and are transported to a grand forest filled with trees. You see the sun peaking through the treetops and the branches overlapping to create a maze in the sky.” Gaudi used a forest as his template when designing the main room of the Basilica.

None of the interior surfaces in Sagrada Família are flat to reflect the ever-changing nature of a forest.

Each column in Sagrada Família is meant to embody a tree with unique qualities that sets them apart from one another. There are a total of 36 columns in the Basilica and each one is made up of different materials. This is the reason why each column has a unique color and structure.

Six large and inclined columns that face the setting sun are specifically designed to resemble Sequoia trunks.

Gaudi purposely made the columns of the central nave 22.20 meters high and the side columns exactly 11.10 meters high. Thanks to this precise design, light from the outside can flow through the large stained glass windows and into the Basilica. This illuminates each column to match the colors of the stained glass window in front of it.

The colors of the columns resemble a rainbow when the afternoon light shines through the glass.

Experiencing the Basilica

Gaudi wanted the stunning architecture of Sagrada Família to be looked at, but also felt. He hoped to create a spiritual experience as you walk through the Basilica.

A nun who goes by Sister, who has wished not to be personally identified, explains her experience at Sagrada Família. She said, “Beauty is supposed to draw us to the Eternal and I remember that upon entering this Basilica, I felt drawn up to heaven.” Sister visited the Basilica towards the end of her pilgrimage, so the use of light and liturgy by Gaudi spoke directly to her heart.

The outside of the Basilica depicts numerous statues of the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

“Ending my travels in this Basilica dedicated to the Holy Family spoke to my heart about the family of God,” Sister said, “Christ came to form a family and as a religious sister I am called to love in a universal manner.” Gaudi continues to spread love and hope through Sagrada Família. His personal touch on the design is still prevalent today in the light and nature themes of the beautiful Basilica.