Church of the Sagrada Familia Essay Example

of the city, the Sagrada Familia is expected to be completed on the 1 0th June 2026 in honor f the 100-year anniversary of Gaudi's death; however, its realistic completion date will largely be determined by funding, Gaudi was a perfectionist; he was Involved with every aspect of the building all the way down to the fine details of the natlvlty scene.He was so particular about getting every detail correct, that he had a live donkey raised up the side of the building so he could get an idea of how it would look In his nativity scene, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in November 2010 after the roof had finally been finished and the area made waterproof.

It Is now an operational church, with mass held every day in both Spanish and Catalan, and there are three major facades on the Sagrada Familia: The Nativity on the east, which was largely finished by Gaudi, The Passion faqade on the west which was recently built, and the Glory faqade to the south. ich remains unfinished and will be the largest and most impressive of the three and Visitors to the Sagrada Familia provide the sole funding of the project.The first drafts of the naves were similar in their basic features to the Gothic style, ut without additional support and buttress. In this original design, the walls were still the main elements of each column, and were indispensable for the stability of the building. Gaudi's studies of stability were groundbreaking: the architect created a knotted rope construction in which the columns correspond to the ropes.He turned the construction of the pressure points and hung small

weights.

In this way he was able to simulate the pressure gradients In the columns. The layout of the church has the shape of a Latin cross - with enormous dimensions. The Sagrada Familia is one of the world's largest Church buildings: from the entrance to the apse is 90 metres, the five naves are limited by a 60 metre long and 45 metre wide transept. The four side naves are 7. 5 metres wide each, the main nave is 15 metres - exactly twice as wide.

The vault of the main nave is 45 metres high, and the side aisles are 30 metres high. In the centre is the raised altar, crowned by the Latin cross with a canopy, decorated with vines and grapes of a vine, as Gaudi's only concession to the traditional church design. Behind the altar are the rgan pipes, which, although they have very large dimensions, represent very delicate work. Construction of the naves was started in 1987, based on models that were created by Antoni Gaudi, and which were not destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.In the outermost naves, the chancels are both situated in a gallery. These provide space for over 1,500 singers.

In contrast to the Gothic style Gaudi's design requires no supporting side walls, and heavy vault: he used this freedom to incorporate numerous windows that allow plenty of natural light inside. As I entered I was memorized by the illustrative style of the stone carvings that adorned the magnificent door way, placed scenes from the last days of Christ. The cathedral was breathtaking, in the true sense of the word.It was magnificent. I walked around the

space silent and then, like a child in a toy store not knowing where to look first, I found myself staring at the curves and textures of the interior architecture. But it was the light, the use of it that struck me dumb.

The cathedral is far from finished. Building is due to go on until either 2026 or 2028. When completed s the sun rises and falls a wonderful kaleidoscope of color will fall across worshipers and visitors. Almost, as if this shadow of light that touches everything were a metaphor of God.

The rippling contours of the stone fapde make it look as though Sagrada Familia is melting in the sun, while the towers are topped with brightly-colored mosaics which look like bowls of fruit. The more you look, the more you see. Every inch of the building's facades is intricately designed and its towers almost reach the clouds. The spiral staircases from the crypt and continue up into the facades. As an ndication of the spiral staircase you see two big stone snails crawling down the wall on the outer walls of the apse.

The inside walls of the apse are decorated with angels' heads and tears that should remind one of the suffering of Jesus. It is hard to explain the emotions that Sagrada Familia aroused within me. I felt in awe of its grandeur and at the same time confused about the meaning of everything and because of how beautiful it is. I have visited churches, cathedrals, and temples all over the world, and I have never felt any of these emotions at any of the other sites I have visited.