Day 80 & 81—Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Part II

One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things.
~ Henry Miller

I stopped focusing on the weird and wonderful façade of the church and looked carefully at the statuary instead. Gaudi himself designed this side to recount the events surrounding Christ’s birth. I’m not sure if these figures are children or angels, but just look at the expressions of surprise and delight on their faces. They’re positioned just above the Holy Family.

Gaudi wasn’t one to leave out any part of the story. The artist even included the terrible death of the innocents ordered by King Herod because he feared the true king had been born.

My opinion of the church was beginning to change. I no longer saw the chaos. I saw a fresh way of telling of the coming of the Redeemer. Then we entered into the church and it was like being swallowed up by a living entity whose spine marched down the length of the structure and whose ribs reached up from the floor to branch into the roof.

ceiling

As if we were Jonah and had been scooped up by a great fish.

Or were lost in an enchanted forest.

There were no lights to give colors to the columns. The stained glass provided the ever changing splash of color.

There is seating for a 150 voice choir on the upper storey.

It’s as though Gaudi discovered a new alphabet and he’s using a different language to tell the story of Christianity and create this sacred space.

We reluctantly left the interior of the church to view the only other completed exterior façade. Gaudi knew he wouldn’t complete the cathedral in his lifetime, so he made arrangements for other artists to finish the other three sides. The Passion façade was designed and executed by Josep M. Subirachs between 1986-2001. His cubist style is raw and powerful and emotional. I couldn’t look away.

Next to the figures of Christ and Judas, who's giving him a betrayer’s kiss, there is a mathematical puzzle on the wall. I’m usually not one for number puzzles. In fact, I think Sudoku is Japanese for “Kill me now.” But this puzzle wasn’t hard to unravel. The answer, however you wish to add it up, is 33—the number of years Jesus walked this earth.

Look at the way Peter’s shoulders slump.  He’s denied his master three times before the cock crowed. His despair is palpable.

I walked past this sculpture without seeing it at first because Christ’s back was to me. I was ashamed when I turned around and realized it was Jesus being scourged. Note the Alpha and Omega symbols above him.

The church is scheduled to be completed in 2026. I would love to come back and see what they’ve accomplished in the interim. I’m not sure it will be done. Gaudi refused to let the church go into debt to be built, so further construction waits on donations.

“God,” Gaudi reportedly said, “is not in a hurry.”