Antoni Gaudí, God’s Engineer

sagrada1
The Basilica of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain.

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) is best known as the architect who designed Barcelona’s massive basilica of the Sagrada Familia. The Atlantic‘s P.J. O’Rourke contrasts him with modern “whimsical” architects:

Gaudí considered the Gothic style imperfect, because buttresses are needed to hold up the soaring magnificence. The house of God should stand on its own. Gaudí found solutions in plant and animal forms, in hyperboloids, paraboloids, and helicoids (respectively, saddle-shaped curves, cones, and spirals).

Palacio Episcopal de Astorga.
Palacio Episcopal de Astorga.

Read the entire article here.

Photos: gaudisagradafamilia.com

Editor

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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Comments

5 responses to “Antoni Gaudí, God’s Engineer”

  1. Jack Rakosky

    This is a direct link to the virtual tour which is otherwise a little difficult to find:

    http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_instit/vvirtualAbsis.php

    I suggest the virtual tour because I was not very impressed with the exterior. However I like the interior very much. However I live in a house with many sky lights, and many windows on the sides of the house away from the sun so I like a lot of indirect sunlight.

    Reply
    1. Jack Rakosky

      In taking the Virtual tour, I discovered what appears to be an altar of Reservation in the Crypt of the Basilica. But, of course like many other large churches, they have the crypt church set up for daily Mass, so that the “altar of Reservation” is awkwardly placed just to the side of the altar used for daily Mass.

      Now one would think with all this space in this very unusual church building that they would have been able to come up with a better solution. Of course Gaudi died in 1926. Wonder if this is how he designed it?

      Given the soaring nature of this building, I wished he had adopted a Dove Pyx solution. It would have been nice to have located it somewhere that could not be seen from most or maybe all the locations on the floor (to facilitate tourism as well as Mass celebration there) but if people went to the right location(s) it could be seen (and that area could be reserved for prayer for pilgrims).

      Reply
  2. Michael Dwyer

    Thank you very much for posting this. Gaudi is someone I have always wanted to know more about.

    Reply
  3. M. Jackson Osborn

    I read several years ago that Sagrada Familia was actually under foundational threat due to nearby construction of underground rail systems. Is there, perhaps, any more recent information about this?

    Reply
  4. Dr. Cajetan Coelho

    The Basilica of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona – work in progress. The long Q – inspires one to enter deep prayer and meditation.

    Reply

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