Visiting Spain, expect to see the most beautiful churches of your life. Nothing compares to the grandeur and elegance of some of the churches here. While I wish I could visit more, the
Sagrada Familia, Montserrat Monastery, and Toledo Cathedral made a lasting impact on me and will change the way I see architecture and churches.
The Sagrada Familia might be the grandest and most popular church in Barcelona. Walking up to the church you can feel how powerful its presence is to the city of Barcelona. My jaw dropped and continued to as I stepped into the building and saw streams of colorful light flowing in. It isn’t a traditional church, as the architecture and sculptures have a whimsical feel. Light and color are played upon inside the temple so different times of the day offer a different visual experience. It’s quite spectacular, to say the least, and each thing you look at has some type of important meaning.
It was originally designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882. The project was taken over by the city’s legend, Antoni Gaudí, in 1883 and he worked on it for 43 years until he died. Gaudi had a very unique architectural style where each thing he designed had a symbolic meaning behind its whimsy. He wanted the church to have 5 naves, 18 towers, and 3 façades. The 18 towers represent biblical figures. The three façades are for Nativity, Glory, and Passion. The Passion façade was controversial though, as some people thought that the sculptures of Christ were too abstract.
The church hasn’t been simple to complete and is still being worked on today. In 1926 after Gaudi’s death, Domènec Sugranyes took over 1926 and the church was completely vandalized during the Spanish civil war ten years later. Plans and photos were burned and models were destroyed. This group of anarchists also destroyed the crypt. While most plans were destroyed, a few were saved but it made continuing construction an extremely slow process.
In 2005, the Nativity façade and crypt were named UNESCO world heritage. Other UNESCO spots in the city include Park Güell, Casa Milà and Battló, Palau de la Música, and more. This year, two towers for Luke and Mark and additional levels to Jesus’s tower should be completed.
The highest tower represents Jesus, then following in height is one for the Virgin Mary. Next, 4 are for the Evangelists and 12 represent apostles. The tower for Jesus is going to be 172.5 meters which will make it the tallest church in the world. The current tallest church stands at 161.5 meters at Ulm Minister in Ulm, Germany. The highest point will be slightly shorter than the top of Montjuïc since Gaudi thought the work of God should surpass any work made by man.
Inside and outside the church are representations of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four Evangelists. The towers will be 22.5 meters tall each but reach a height of 135 meters when finished. These towers will combine architecture with symbolism. Artist Xavier Medina i Campeny designed the sculptures. The tower of Matthew represents perfection, shown as a sculpture of an angel with wings to symbolize man being the perfect creature in God’s image. Mark’s tower is going to be topped with a lion as he is associated with courage and strength. Luke is depicted as an ox John’s vision is represented by an eagle to symbolize how he contemplates the world from on high.
At the center of the alter is a baldachin (canopy) of Jesus. The shape is heptagonal to represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Tour guide, Elena Rodriguez pointed out that “The reason why the strains of wheat are on the top was that Jesus gave his body and blood for Christ and Gaudi wanted to represent the bread and wine of the Eucharist.”
One of the coolest aspects of the church was the 33 magic square. Add up any line of this square in 310 different combinations and you will always get 33 which was the age Jesus died. “The church is a mathematical masterpiece. Each part of the building is meticulously calculated to be symmetrical,” said our guide.
“I’ve never seen anything so intricate and beautiful, and the inside of the church is even more breathtaking than the outside. A good 25 euros spent getting to see the inside of the church,” said recent college graduate Allison Brooks. This church is a must-see for anyone visiting Barcelona, as the beauty and attention to detail is apparent in every single inch of the church.
The colors and sculptures of Sagrada Familia are beautiful and make the church a masterpiece.
Just a 45-minute drive from Barcelona gets you to a picturesque little mountain town that’s home to the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary of Montserrat, that gives beautiful views of Catalonia’s landscape. Catholic pilgrims and tourists alike make the journey to see the stately basilica. The extent to which you can explore the monastery is limited (unless you’re interested in becoming a monk), but the large 11th-century basilica is open to visitors at certain times.
The most famous part of the monastery is a statue of the Black Madonna, Catalonia’s patron saint, on the high altar inside the basilica. Plan your trip on a weekend with lots of time to go to a mass and see the beauty inside. Unfortunately, our journey here didn’t allow time for a mass, but I will definitely be coming back on my next visit to Spain.
Images from Montserrat at different views. The church has traditional Mediterranean architecture.
The first documented mention of the church was in 888 so it’s been established for an extremely long time. The monastery grew between 1493 and 1835 when it went under reforms and was visited by pilgrims in increasing numbers. The French war destructed the church and left it abandoned, but it was restored before the next war came. The Spanish civil war negatively affected the monastery just as it affected Sagrada Familia. It was abandoned and 23 monks were killed, but the Catalonia government did effectively protect it from being destroyed.
The picturesque cathedral is located in Toledo, a beautiful little town outside of Madrid. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary's ascension to heaven. The first part of the cathedral was a temple built on top of a Muslim mosque when King San Fernando and the archbishop began the plans for the new church in 1226. Master Martin made the outlines and began construction for the church. It has a gothic style with French influences. The church includes five naves and is supported by 88 columns. It measures 120 meters long by 59 meters wide. The stained glass goes back to the fourteenth century and has a polychromatic design, meaning they are multicolored. Cardinal Cisneros commissioned the altarpiece in the main chapel which depicts scenes from the New Testament.
The choir is considered one of the most extravagant of all cathedrals. It was made in the fifteenth century and depicts scenes of surrender in cities because of the prominent wartime that surrounded this century. 72 chairs make up the upper choir that was designed by Alonso de Berruguete and Felipe Vigarni.
The interior of Cathedral Primada is simple but very elegant.
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