March 6: Visionary Architect and Engineer: The Work of Antoni Gaudí & Oriol Carrasco

Today the group visited the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, led by our tour guide Jordi, and accompanied by architect Oriol Carrasco, whose brain we had the pleasure of picking as we explored the incredible building. When we first rounded the corner and I laid eyes on Sagrada Familia, I had to pause for a second – I was almost overwhelmed by just how much there was to take in. The longer I looked, the more detail I found. Each tiny part of the face of the basilica told a specific biblical story. The walls came alive with sculptural scenes made by creating plaster casts of real people and animals. It turns out Jordi’s grandfather was the plaster cast model for one of the apostles! Antoni Gaudí wished for his masterpiece to be an “explosion of nature,” according to Jordi, and it truly was; there were animals and leaves and vines all intricately carved into the outer walls, and on the inside, pillars representing a giant forest, and dappled sunlight through beautiful stained glass window foliage. Every inch is packed with meaning. 

It was really interesting to learn about the plans for the basilica’s continued construction. There are going to be a total of eighteen towers: twelve for the apostles, four for the evangelists, one for Mary, and one for Jesus. According to Oriol, the entire structure should be completed in about nine or ten years. The look on Jordi’s face at that statement was pretty amusing – in my mind it seemed to show that he’s convinced the 150-year work in progress will never be finished. I guess we’ll find out a decade from now, and if it’s really done, we’ll all have to come back and see for ourselves!

Author: Stephanie Aviles