Gaudi is a Genius #3 - His Masterpiece

 "Antoni Gaudi had one main objective: to convert the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia into the perfect temple.  To accomplish this, he dedicated the last 43 years of his life to building what would become one of the masterpieces of art and architecture of all time."

When we moved to Barcelona in 1995, Sagrada Familia was just a beautiful shell of a building.  The passion facade and the nativity facade were a sight worth seeing but the inside was essentially a construction zone and home to lots of stray cats!  Nothing much had changed by the time we moved back to the USA in 2000.  What a difference 13 years can make!  

Now Gaudi's dream to create a link between heaven and earth has become a reality!  And it is stunning!

His goal was to establish a close relationship between heaven and earth by means of height and light.  To do this the windows had to be so large that the outside walls could not be load bearing.  To overcome this problem, Gaudi came up with a 'tree like' system where loads could be transferred down to the ground by means of the branching out of columns.  Efficient and so beautiful!  Reminiscent of the forest he had envisioned, it is easy in this beauty for you thoughts to go heavenward!  I'm sure that is exactly the goal he had in mind.

  

The words inscribed on the outside are reminders of what a Christian life should be.

Sacrifice

Prayer

Charity

Antoni Gaudi was not only a genius but a spiritual giant whose dedication to and love for God is perfectly illustrated by the beauty and spirituality so easily found in La Sagrada Familia.  Generations will be blessed to worship here.