On today's trip we will discover one of the most emblematic symbols of Barcelona and all of Spain, the Sagrada Familia. Let's start the reportage by deepening the logistics of the building. Until 1850 Barcelona had its urban limit in La Rambla, the city's main street. Around 1850 it was decided to knock down the Gothic wall to allow the expansion of the city and the consequent neighbourhood we are in today: Ensanche. The urban design of this area is famous for the subdivision of the manzanas, the blocks: these are squares with cut corners, each measuring 133.3 x 133.3 metres, and the streets run parallel and perpendicular. According to the idea of engineer Ildefons Cerdà, such a subdivision would have helped daily traffic flow by decreasing the risk of accidents for children and old people crossing the streets. The Sagrada Familia was built within a manzana, the 133.3x133.3 metre block. The idea of building the Sagrada Familia came from the bookseller Josep Maria Bocadella. On a trip to Marche, the region of Italy, he was fascinated by the Sanctuary of Loreto and decided to build something similar in Barcelona. In 1882, construction of the Sagrada Familia began, but the first architect involved in the project was not Gaudi but Francisco de Paula de Villar who started work from the crypt. However, after a year, the collaboration between them did not work out and Bocadella decided to assign the task to Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi continued the work by finishing the crypt in the architectural style of his predecessor, after that, he continued in his own style and devoted himself entirely to the nativity façade. When he died in 1926, only the crypt, the nativity façade and a tower had been built. The original design included 3 façades (nativity, passion and glory) and 18 towers: 12 for the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, 1 for the Virgin Mary, 1, the tallest one, for Jesus. Gaudi was aware of the fact that he would never complete Sagrada Familia, but went ahead anyway with the idea that his successors would carry on the original project, even if with different decorative styles. The 7th November 2010, the Pope came to Barcelona and gave the title of Basilica to the Sagrada Familia. We know Antoni Gaudi not only for the Sagrada Familia but also for other works such as the Parc Güell, , built by Gaudi on commission from Count Eusebi Güell. Eusebi Güell was the richest man in Spain in the late 1800s. He met Gaudi during an exhibition and was so fascinated that he commissioned a series of works from him. He met Gaudi during an exhibition and was so fascinated that he commissioned a series of works from him. From here a relationship of deep respect and admiration between the two began. It was an important moment in the artist's life because he was able to collaborate with Catalan bourgeois families. But in 1914 Count Guell became ill and died in 1918. His sons, who did not share the collaboration between their father and Gaudi, stopped the funds along with the Catalan elite. Gaudi, who was left without a commissioner, devoted himself entirely to the Sagrada Familia in the last years of his life also for this reason. He died on 10 June 1926 after a tragic accident. On his way to the centre of Barcelona, he crossed the street and was hit by a tram as he was moving to avoid another one. At that moment nobody recognised him by thinking that he was a beggar. He was transported to the hospital for the poor. He was recognised after few days, but it was too late and he died on 10 June 1926 His grave is preserved in the crypt at a depth of 10 metres. It is the only tomb that was respected during the Spanish Civil War, because Gaudi was considered the architect of the people. The civil war lasted from 1936 to 1939, with the nationalists on one side and the republicans on the other. The Church sided with the former, so one way to attack the nationalists was to set fire to churches. The 20th July 1936, an anti-clerical group set fire to the crypt where Gaudi had worked, burning most of the architect's plaster models, notes and various sketches. Only later the remains of the plaster models and photographs of the time were taken to reconstruct Antoni Gaudi's original design. NATIVITY FAÇADE We begin our visit with the Nativity façade, the one built by Antoni gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is a kind of stone bible representing the life of Jesus. The Nativity Façade was placed here because the sun rises on this side. It is divided into three portals: Charity, Hope and Faith. In each of these, there is a sculptural group. Let's start with the Portal of Charity. Looking up we see the tree of life coloured green with white birds. At the base of the cypress there are the letters JHS, the anagram of Jesus (Jesus Hombre Salvador). Along with the pelican and 3 pairs of angels, it represents the Eucharist. Continuing downwards, we see a kind of cave with the crowning of the Virgin Mary. Further down, we see the Annunciation of Mary by the Archangel Gabriel. And above the column the Birth of Jesus with the adoration of the shepherds on the right and the adoration of the Magi on the left. The Birth of Jesus is above the column. At the base of the column a snake is biting an apple, the symbol of original sin and the reason why Jesus came into the world. On the left there is the Portal of Hope. At half height we find the Wedding of Mary and St Joseph. Looking down we can admire the family of Jesus with St Joseph talking to Jesus as a child. At the base of the portal on the right the Massacre of the Innocents is represented by a soldier holding a child, while on the left there is the Flight from Egypt. Let us finally move on to the last portal, the one of faith, on the right. Still in the centre, at half height we can see Jesus in the arms of Simeon: the scene takes place in a temple and Simeon holds Jesus with his hands wrapped in a veil as a form of respect. Further down we see Jesus preaching in the temple, at the age of 12. And nearby, Mary and Joseph listen to him. Near the parents there is the representation of Jesus, working as a worker. These are the most important parts of the Nativity Facade. But now let's get a little bit closer. In 1978 the Japanese sculptor Etsurō Sotoo arrived in Barcelona and was so fascinated by the Sagrada Familia that he asked to work here. Since that moment, he carries on working on the facade of the Nativity, by following the instructions left by Gaudì. We can see his touch in the children with Japanese features singing above Jesus’ birth. He also embellished the facade with ivy which in Japan is a symbol of love Another interesting thing to note is that the birth of Jesus is placed between two columns, both made under the direction of Gaudi. The one on the left is the column of St. Joseph and a WATER TURTLE is sculpted at the base, it is symbol of the Universe and immortality. The right column is supported by a LAND TURTLE, a symbol of protection. Nature was one of the most important features in Gaudi's work. This has its roots in the sculptor's childhood. He was born 100km away from the center, in a countryside and when he was a child he had health problems that did not allow him to play with his peers. As a result, he spent a lot of time observing nature. With Gaudi, every figurative and constructive choice has a symbolic value. Moving to the right we can see the Facade of the Apse. On this façade there is the Tower of Virgin Mary, inaugurated the 8th December 2021, the day of the Immaculate Conception. It is 138 metres high and at the top there is a 12-pointed star made of transparent crystal that lights up at night. It has a diameter of 7.5 metres and this measurement is not a coincidence. His predecessor, Villar, had begun building the Sagrada Familia with the proportion of 8. In continuing with the work, Gaudi chose 7.5 because 8 represents perfect geometry and, according to the sculptor, the work of man could not exceed that of God. And now let’s go inside the cathedral. The first thing that strikes our eye is the large size and the play of light. Let us approach the altar of the Sagrada Familia. It was built with a 5-tonne stone block, made of porphyry, the strongest stone in the world. It is surrounded by 4 columns, also made of porphyry, because one of the parts remaining to be built is the central tower, which is expected to be the tallest, 172.5 metres high. The 4 columns represent the 4 evangelists who are depicted in 3 metre high medallions. . The most symbolic representation is certainly the canopy: it is decorated with grapes and wheat stalks, symbolising the wine and bread, the blood and body of Christ. One of the aspects that most strikes the visitor are the different shades of light. The stained glass windows are designed to reflect the light in a studied way. It is not casual Lighter colours such as blue come from the nativity façade, while on the passion side, depicting the death of Christ, the colours are more aggressive. This play of colours helps to keep the interior light balanced. The columns of the Sagrada Familia are not straight but slightly inclined. When asked why he chose them, Gaudi replied: 'for the same reason why the weary traveller when he stops supports himself with the inclined stick. Otherwise if he puts it upright he would not rest' In few words, for a matter of strength and better weight distribution. Columns have different heights and these can be measured by counting the number of points at the base of the column and multiplying by 2: Column base with 6 points, 12 metres high; 8 points, 16 metres; while the tallest are those in porphyry: 12 points, 24 metres high. In total there are 52 columns in the Sagrada Familia, the same as the 52 weeks of the year, and it has a capacity for 8000 people. The type of arch used is the catenary arch, so called because it resembles a chain held by both ends but upside down. It differs from the others because the weight to is redistributed without the need for buttresses. The naves were built following the 7.5 proportion, so we have aisles of: 15, 30, 45 metres and the 60 metre dome. Let us now turn to the Passion Façade. It was commissioned in 1986 to the sculptor Josep María Subirachs and is immediately detached from the Natality Façade by a feeling of coldness that pervades the visitor. This was also Gaudi's aim since, this façade was meant to show Jesus' suffering and ultimately his death. It is made up of a series of sculptural groups that Subirachs has depicted in an S-shaped path from the bottom left with the Holy Supper to the resurrection and ascension at the top. Let's discover the main stages together. The Last Supper, in which Judas is depicted with an almost deformed face. The Kiss of Judas, nearby is one of the most popular motifs on the façade, a cryptogram that in 310 different combinations always returns the sum of 33, the age at which Christ died. The Flagellation - in this scene, one of the most dramatic, Jesus alone is leaning against the pillar after being tortured by Roman soldiers. The Denials of Peter - in this scene Peter is thinking, almost afflicted. There are also 3 women representing the 3 times Peter denied Jesus. And finally the rooster, according to the gospel "Before the rooster crows you will deny me 3 times". Jesus in front of Pilate - Here Jesus is depicted wearing the crown of thorns, while Pilate is seated. In the next group, the judgement of Jesus, Pilate washes his hands to clean his soul from the sins he has committed. The path continues with Jesus' Calvary lying on the ground. In the central part we find Veronica, the pious woman who, according to Christian tradition, seeing Jesus' face soaked in blood and sweat while carrying the cross, wiped it with a linen cloth. Next to Veronica there are two Roman soldiers, similar to the chimneys of Gaudi's Pedrera or Casa Milan, giving them a fierce warrior aura. While on the left, the evangelist is represented with the features of Antoni Gaudi. Where the S forms the second curve we find Longinus, the centurion in charge of the soldiers escorting Jesus. He is on a horse and brandishes a spear Just above some Roman soldiers are playing with Jesus' clothes. Jesus' ordeal ends with the crucifixion. And finally the burial. In this scene Animatea and Nicodemus deposit the body of Jesus in the tomb. Nicodemus is depicted with the features of Subirachs. At the height of the towers, the path ends with the Resurrection and finally the Ascension. The side aisle of the Passion Façade consists of a series of ceramic decorations. In the upper part there are grapes and wheat, symbolising the blood and body of Christ, while in the lower part there are 12 baskets of fruit, one for each month of the year made by the Japanese sculptor Sotoo. Before finishing our reportage, a tour of the Gaudi Museum is recommended. Here you can see the reproduction of the Maqueta Funicolar of the Colonia Guell Church. This is a three-dimensional model that Gaudi used to design the building. Using a system of suspended ropes, he placed the basic components of the church at the top and the upper components at the bottom in order to understand how to distribute weights and measures. This is a 2022 model that shows the completed parts (the grey ones) and the parts to be completed (the light ones). As of today, 70% of the Sagrada Familia is finished, the other 30% remains. That is, the façade of glory, and 9 out of 18 towers according to the original project. The central Tower, the Tower of Jesus, will be 172.5 metres high, a multiple of 7.5 but also lower than the 173-metre-high Montjuc Hill, in line with Gaudi's vision that human work cannot overcome divine work. We do not yet know if the work will be completed by 2026, the estimated date, but certainly Gaudi's dream is slowly coming true. I like to end this report by quoting one of Antoni Gaudi's phrases "Para hacer las cosas bien es necesario: primero, el amor, segundo, la técnica. To do things right, first you need love, then technique. Thank you and see you to the next journey!