The feast of Saint Joseph is an important day for the Sagrada Família for several reasons. Firstly, because it was the Asociación Espiritual de Devotos de San José that initially promoted the idea of building a temple in Barcelona devoted to the Holy Family. In addition, the cornerstone of the Temple was laid on 19 …
Continue reading » “Saint Joseph, noteworthy presence on the Nativity façade”
Construction of the Sagrada Família is full of challenges. One of them has undoubtedly been building the central lanterns. Now that these are on track and about to start changing the Temple profile, the next important challenge will be the main façade, the Glory façade. As we explained in a previous post, work is currently …
Continue reading » “Baptistery basements: activity returns to the Glory façade”
[Author: Arxiu Mas] For the Nativity façade, the sculptures were made using plaster moulding, which in Gaudí’s era was quite common. So, in his workshop, he created moulds of all sorts of vegetables, leaves and fruit, and also of typical carpentry tools, like a chisel and a hammer, for the portal of Saint Joseph. He …
Continue reading » “How the sculptures on the Nativity façade were made: plaster moulding”
The Sunday 1 December was the first day of Advent: a time to prepare for Christmas that the Sagrada Família is celebrating with various activities and events. For this reason, we wanted to explain the details of construction of this façade that features the birth of Jesus and Advent, the time leading up to it: …
Continue reading » “The Nativity façade: key moments in its history”
On 11 March, the Catalan Ministry of Culture declared all of Subirachs’ work at the Sagrada Família a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN) in the historic monument category. There is no doubt that, of all of Subirachs’ work on the Temple, the most well-known is that on the huge portal on the Passion façade, …
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In March, spring begins, the earth blooms and everything is reborn. At the Sagrada Família, Gaudí associated this beginning of life directly with the arrival of Jesus, but also with the beginning of the day, as the Nativity façade looks to the east. Each of the three portals on this façade is full of flora …
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Just like patients are monitored at a hospital, tracking their vital signs to detect any anomalies and raise the alarm, it is also becoming commonplace in the world of architecture and heritage to monitor important buildings or heritage sites. In these cases, it is important to get enough data to ensure that any issues are …
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Labyrinths are known to have existed since prehistory, as well as in most cultures of antiquity. They were worn as amulets or engraved in stone to ward off evil spirits, which were believed to get lost inside and not be able to find the victim. Plus, around the world, there are many churches with a …
Continue reading » “Why is there a labyrinth at the entrance to the Sagrada Família?”
Sculptors in Gaudí’s time created plaster moulds of objects, animals and plants, but hid this practice as they thought it took away from their achievement. The artistic avant-garde was moving towards exalting the artist and avoiding copies. However, when Gaudí discovered that the Greeks had used this technique, he felt justified in his choices and …
Continue reading » “Who were the real models for the crèche on the Nativity façade?”
Last summer, we officially completed the Passion façade, putting the final piece in place on the sculpture group of the Cross of Glory. And with this historical milestone, we’ve decided to look back on the key moments of a façade that covers the period from death to resurrection, and that Gaudí designed just after an …
Continue reading » “The Passion façade: key moments in its history”
