Antoni Gaudi is to Barcelona what Michelangelo is to Rome or Florence. Gaudi's thumbprint is everywhere throughout the city, especially in the Sagrada Familia, a large Roman Catholic church in the Eixample district. This jaw-dropping, oh-my-gawd, almost creepy structure is like none other with a forest of columns, abstract figures and melting stone. Be prepared to have a sore neck after a visit from the constant craning necessary to take it all in.
Construction began in 1882 and is still going on today. It is expected to be completed sometime before 2030. Gaudi's design was meant to be adjusted, modifying details along the way. He exercised unconventional methods of testing his ideas such as hoisting a donkey up the facade to see how it would look in a sculpted nativity scene, anaesthetizing turkeys and chickens and using stillborn babies to make plaster casts for the Massacre of the Innocents sculpture scene. Gaudi was fatally hit by a tram in 1926, but ensuing architects have continued on his work, sometimes guessing at Gaudi's genius plan.
When finished, the church will accommodate approximately 13,000 people and have a total of 18 towers. Four tours represent the twelve apostles. Another four represent the four evangelists. They surround the largest tower dedicated to Jesus Christ. The last tower will be dedicated to Virgin Mary.
There are three unique facades. The first is known as the Nativity Facade and was finished by Gaudi himself. Opposite the Nativity Facade is the Passion Facade with abstract figures. The third is the Glory Facade picturing life and death.
A visit to the church is a must, as is the crypt where Gaudi is buried. An elevator will take you to the top of a tower for magnificent views of Barcelona.
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