Sagrada Familia – indescribable beauty (Barcelona, Spain)

It is hard to describe the beauty of Sagrada Familia.  I have heard that some people went to it, saw the exterior, which IS marvelous on its own, and thought they had seen all there was to see and had left.
They missed a truly exceptional experience.

Exterior

The outside currently has two completed facades (of 4 Gaudi planned).

The first is the Nativity facade, which shows multiple scenes in stone involved with the birth of Christ and his early years. The opposite side is the Passion facade, which shows sculpted scenes regarding Christ’s death.

Interior

While the outside is a mosaic, sculpture, and pinnacle wonderland, the interior is something entirely different and is truly magical.

If you spend a reasonable amount of time inside, the colors inside will change because as the sun progresses across the sky and goes through the different colored windows.  From green and yellow to orange and red.   Check out the video on my YouTube Channel : https://youtu.be/57r0M3mfuF8

Towers

You can climb stairs to the top (or like most people, put your stuff in lockers and take an elevator up).   Once there, you can walk around in and around some of the spires. From there you can see the mosaic fruit spire tops up close.  Once you are done seeing the views of the city, you can take a long long long staircase back down.

Gaudi designed this cathedral but it still is not complete and there are cranes around it and workmen scampering around with plans and mortar and tiles.

A magic square outside, why? Because, Gaudi.

Museum

Underneath the cathedral is a museum about how the church is being built, how Gaudi planned the shapes, and how the stain glass colors are selected, etc.  It is quite good.

If you want to see more about Gaudi, this video is quite good. His artwork is really creative, and this video does a good job showcasing it (particularly the Sagrada Familia) and giving more information.

For more about Gaudi’s work in Barcelona see here