Antonio Gaudi: He was a Catalan architect with many works in Barcelona. He was influenced by nature and the desire to go beyond anything that had ever been done before. We figure Gaudi was one or all of the three following things, a genius, looney-tunes, or on acid.
Gaudi died in 1926 when he was run over by a tram. Cab drivers refused to pick him up because he looked ragged and assumed he couldn't afford the fare. Eventually he was taken to the hospital and died 3 days later.
La Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church)
This is one of the most spectacular buildings we've seen since we've been in Europe. Gaudi's purpose was to build this church to glorify God in such a way that couldn't be done "overnight". It didn't interest him to build another gothic cathedral so he designed this very (for the time and still is) contemporary cathedral. This structure is so elaborate it goes beyond Gaudi's years (literally). Construction for this church began in 1882 and still continues to the present day. The estimated completion date is tentatively set for 2026.
View from one of the towers... It was pretty windy up there.
The plan of the church is based off the Latin cross. The inside columns were influenced by nature (of course for Gaudi)... trees. Each column instead of the traditional 'groin vaults' has branch-like features. The ceiling above is meant to resemble flowers and leaves with small openings that allow light to peak through, much like a real forest.
The ongoing of this construction is paid for by tourism.
Gaudi knew he would not live to see the completion of this masterpiece so he left extensive and elaborate color drawings of his vision for future architects to follow.
Model making shop. Still very important to the project.
When designing the main idea of this temple, Gaudi invented a method for determining the correct angle for each of the leaning columns. He made a small hanging model of the church by using string to represent the columns and small sand bags to weigh them down. This let gravity do the math and create the angles and arcs. The only problem was, everything is UPSIDE DOWN. Yes, he designed this cathedral upside down so he placed a large mirror above in order to see an accurate progression.
When its complete it will have a total of 18 towers (currently 8 are built), representatives of the towers in ascending order of height: 12 apostles, 4 evangelists, the virgin Mary, and tallest of all Jesus Christ at 170 meters (557 feet). Gaudi determined this height because it will be one meter less than the tallest hill (Montjuïc) in Barcelona. Gaudí believed that the work of man should not surpass the work of God. I'd love to come back when this church is completed.
Casa Batillo
Another work of Gaudi's, just a mile or two walk away from familia is this great building decorated with colored glass, ceramic circles and mask-shaped balconies which to me look more like distorted skulls. The roof of this building is scaled like a dragon's back.
Casa Mila
A Gaudi apartment building with wavy walls that resemble ocean waves. The doors and windows look like holes dug out of the sand. The balcony railing detail was beautiful.
Casa Batillo
Another work of Gaudi's, just a mile or two walk away from familia is this great building decorated with colored glass, ceramic circles and mask-shaped balconies which to me look more like distorted skulls. The roof of this building is scaled like a dragon's back.
Casa Mila
A Gaudi apartment building with wavy walls that resemble ocean waves. The doors and windows look like holes dug out of the sand. The balcony railing detail was beautiful.
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