Anyone who takes a close look at the Sagrada Familia will notice the many peculiarities of this fantastic temple. Both the architectural style, as well as the complex sculptural ensemble, including the curiosities of the Sagrada FamiliaThey are totally unique and will not leave anyone who contemplates them unmoved.
And all this thought and calculated by a privileged mind like Gaudí’s, who, although he knew he would not see his work completed, left everything necessary so that it could be built as he had conceived it. Do you want to know some of the secrets and curiosities of the Sagrada Familia?
Curiosities of the Sagrada Familia
Everything, down to the smallest detail, was thought out by Gaudí in its design. And so that we can admire much more this great construction, we are going to know the reason for some of the curiosities of the Sagrada Familia.
1. The reason for its height
The Holy Family is designed to pay homage to the life of Jesus. Completion of the work is his ascension to the kingdom of heaven. And for this, nothing better than to build a rather tall church.
But why will it be exactly 172.5 m when completed?
Gaudí wanted to build this tribute by raising the tallest building in Barcelona, and at the same time, the tallest church in the world. But, he also thought that any work done by man could in no way surpass nature. Therefore, the height of the Sagrada Familia would have to meet these requirements.and, at the same time, not exceed the greatest heights of the mountains surrounding Barcelona.
Gaudí was not the architect of choice at the beginning of his career
The commission for the construction of the Sagrada Familia was originally given to the diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882, who, due to differences with the association promoting the works, had to resign the following year. At that time, the commission was offered to Joan Martorell, who declined the offer and recommended his best disciple, a young 31 year old architect named Antoni Gaudi.
3. Why it will be completed in 2026
Although there is still a lot to be built, a frenetic pace has been imposed on the works in order to finish them on the centenary of Gaudí’s death.
4. Possibly the most uniform modern construction in the world.
Despite the slenderness, beauty and harmony of the basilica, everything about it is unique. This is one of the best kept secrets of the Sagrada Familia. Therefore, it is easy to understand the uniqueness of this construction.
And why do we say it is the most uniform? For two fundamental reasons:
- In its interior there is no straight alignment. And this is because it imitates the architecture of nature. If you look at the towers, they are not straight, they are curved alignments and the interior columns are calculated with a growth path that emulates trees growing from floor to ceiling.
- No stone in the temple is the same as another. They are all carved by hand, thanks to the 7 master stonemasons who make them every day.
5. The Nativity façade is the only thing Gaudí saw built.
Although he was director of the works for 43 years, the only thing he saw almost finished was the façade of the Nativity, the only thing he saw almost completed was the Nativity façade.. Of course, he was aware when he accepted the commission that he was going to design something that he would not see executed, so he took care to leave countless drawings, sketches, indications and models to make its construction possible.
6. There are 50 different types of stones in its structure
One of the curiosities of the Sagrada Familia is that at present, there is no construction of these dimensions that uses stone in its structure. And to do so, more than 50 different types of stones had to be used.
7. Only money from donations has been used to finance the project.
The Sagrada Família is an expiatory temple, which means that it can only be it can only be financed by donations and contributions from individuals.. In the beginning, this was thanks to the half a million members of the Association of Devotees of St. Joseph, promoter of the construction. Later on, there were fundraisers and today, it is also financed thanks to the money from the entrance fees.
8. The remains of Gaudí rest in the temple.
They can be visited in the chapel of the Virgen del Carmen.
9. The Civil War caused a long delay in its construction.
Due to numerous acts of vandalism at the beginning of the Civil War, a great deal of Gaudí’s original information was lost. It was not until the 1950s that it was possible to return to a certain speed in the works. And this was thanks to the recovery and redesign of several architects who were able to preserve the initial character designed by Gaudí.
This is one of the curiosities of the Sagrada Familia The most important, because when we contemplate it finished, it will certainly not be as it was originally designed. But, we still have one more to go… And you will be able to realize this when you are several kilometers away from the temple and you can hear the music emanating from it. And this will happen when a different sound is emitted from each tower, as you will be able to hear it from anywhere in Barcelona.
