A Bold Building in Barcelona

Anyone and everyone who visits Barcelona has a trip to La Sagrada Familia as a ‘must see’. They come because for almost a hundred years, since he was first involved, Antoni Gaudí’s bold vision of a church has been in the news as a source of controversy. We’ve all heard of it.

For a start it wasn’t commissioned by the diocese, as was usual when a new church was required. Instead, an association founded by a local bookseller wanted it built, and Gaudí wasn’t even their original choice of achitect. Work on the church began in 1882, but Gaudí wasn’t officially involved until 1914. Gaudí himself died in 1926, when the project was barely a quarter complete, and since then, many architects have been involved. Is the building that may be finished next year even reflecting Gaudí’s original vision?

Funds to build it relied and rely on donations from the public. The Spanish Civil War got in the way. In July 1936, anarchists from the FAI set fire to the crypt and broke their way into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí’s original plans. Later, Covid 19 got in the way. The foundation that manages the finances neither publishes accounts nor pays taxes.

You won’t have to go far in Barcelona to find citizens who are no friends of La Sagrada Familia. They speak of how over-tourism round the church has lowered the local quality of life, and impacted negatively on other tourist sites. They find it ugly, and moving ever further from Gaudí’s original vision. One of the later additions to the plan, to build a stairway which will involve the demolition of local housing has generated a row which I think still isn’t resolved.

One was or another, I think it’s fair to say that La Sagrada Familia, by its sheer size and complexity, is an audacious bit of planning. Its impact on the city skyline is definitely bold.

If you haven’t yet been, and want to do so, plan well beforehand. Book ahead. It’s a bold and undaunted tourist, or a foolish one, who turns up at the gates and expects to get straight in. Once in, you’ll be shepherded around a prescribed route, and not at your own pace.

Whatever you think of the church, I think these builders, scrambling up unfeasibly high walls and towers are pretty bold.

Look how high up some of them have to work.

Here’s a miscellany of shots from the interior of the building.

And the exterior.

The featured photo is my most recent, taken in January from the Mercat dels Encants, some distance away. As you can see, quite a lot of recent additions have been made since the exterior shots shown above were taken .

What to visit instead? Be intrepid! Make your way (and it’s not that easy) to Colonia Güell, outside town, and visit Gaudí’s incomplete (but bold) church there, the one he expected to make his Magnum Opus until the funding stopped, and the Sagrada Familia presented itself as an opportunity. You can read about it here. You mght be able to tell where my sympathies lie.

For Sofia’s Lens-Artists Challenge #337: Bold

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

53 thoughts on “A Bold Building in Barcelona”

    1. Oh, Colonia Guell has been a real highlight for me. I’ll definitely go back. We first visited La Sagrada Familia in the early ’90s I guess, when my now-resident-in-Catalonia daughter was 5. My abiding memory is of seeing a huge dumper truck inside the building, totally dwarfed by its surroundings.

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  2. It’s a sad story in many ways, Margret. I find it incredibly beautiful inside, but I’m not so taken with the exterior and, as you say, it goes on and on, impacting all of life in the area. It must be 10 years now since I was there- I’d have to look back to be sure. Enough is enough? Love your internal photos though.

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  3. The 2 times I have been to the Sagrada it was walk inside and hang around.
    The first time, 2009 the inside was wrapped in plastic and it was dusty. The next 2013, the inside was almost finished and it was an amazing experience.
    I would just like to see the outside now. I really enjoyed Park Güell

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  4. It’s impressive in scale but I agree with Jo, a bit of a sad story. I think I’d go if I’m ever back in Barcelona, everything is worth a visit once! Much prefer the look of Park Güell, such an interesting place.

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  7. We visited back in 1997 (I think!) so it’s come a long way since then. I’d be curious to see it again now, more so the interior which if I reme,ber rightly was just a shell back then. I’m gathering you’re not a fan?!

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    1. There are many things about the place that are truly beautiful and original. But many of the more recent additions appear to be just that – Disneyesque accretions that are just there for the sake of it. And you know what we tourists are like when other tourists crowd a place out – it’s just unacceptable!

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    1. Well, exactly. And this example is but a short walk from the Hospital Sant Pau, which DID care for the needy, and did so in lovely surroundings with gardens etc. believing that this was an important part of the cure. Somhow the difference in attitude shines out to this day as far as I’m concerned.

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  9. When I went with my daughter back in 2016 we were allowed to wander freely inside, and we had booked online before we went. I found it fascinating, specially the doors and the interior. Would I go back? Maybe if I was ever to return to Barcelona, which seems unlikely now. I wonder what Gaudi would think of it now?

    And I was very impressed with Hospital Sant Pau.

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    1. I sort of think Gaudí would recognise it of course. But only just. I think the outside in particular had fairly recently lost its way. Whereas I continue to be fascinated by, and to love the Hospital Sant Pau.

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  10. Barcelona is still on my list of places to visit and your post confirms two things, first I should definitely do it, second, I might get really frustrated with the whole thing and I’ll be adding to the locals misery. You picked a really excellent subject for this challenge and I love your inside photos.

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    1. If you DO decide on Barcelona, I could help with traveller’s tips if you like, since my daughter lives so near, and had lived in Barcelona for years in any case. It IS a city to get to know, and to take your camera to!

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  13. You are so lucky to have been able to enter, Margaret. When we visited Barcelona many years ago, the cathedral was closed for the time we were there. Thank you for letting me peek inside through your camera lens!!

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  18. Thank you, Margaret for the update of Barcelona and Gaudi! We plan to visit 2026 or 2027 when it, hopefully, is finished. I am a great fan, and most of all of the connection he makes to the natural world. We could walk freely back in 2011, but I guess we will have to book now…!

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    1. His work inspired by the natural world is indeed inspired, and there’s plenty at La Sagrada Familia. But I also feel others have muscled in, in recent years, and the overall cohesion has been lost – outside at least.

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  20. Dear Margaret
    For us that’s an example for failed architecture. We don’t like any of Gaudi’s work. Besides that, we don’t like religious fundamentalists.
    Happy weekend
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. I like his earlier work a lot (as in Colonia Guell) but la Sagrada Familia, though it has elements I love, I think that it’s been taken away from his original concept by others, later. Yes, I know what you mean! Ad a happy weekend to you too!

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  22. I think it looks like an incredible building, and you are so right to call it bold. Though I wouldn’t have picked it to be a church. Great story too, thank you for including it Margaret.

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