Modernisme in Barcelona through Gaudí: Sagrada Família
I’ve said it before in my main post about Barcelona: this wonderful city has its own unique style, and it is in part because of modernisme, the Catalan art neouveau. This artistic movement was born in the end of the 19th century around the time of the First Barcelona World Fair, and it was used as a representative of Catalan identity. This movement happened all around Catalonia but its center was clearly Barcelona, and you can still see the bohemian elegance of this style all over the city. As I mentioned, Antoni Gaudí was the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism, and from all of his beautiful accomplishments, none shines brighter than the Sagrada Familia. This post will guide you through the secrets of this beautiful basilica, but if you’re interested in modernisme in general, I suggest you read this post:
→ Route through Modernisme in Barcelona
Post Contents
Sagrada Familia
Construction of Sagrada Familia
Arguably Gaudí’s masterpiece and surely what has become the symbol of Barcelona, Sagrada Familia is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. One of the quirks of this building is that its construction started in 1882, and the works are still ongoing to this day (as in the time of writing 2023 – 141 years of work). There are many reasons for this: its construction relies solely on private donations, it was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 (resuming in the 1950s) and the original plans and drawings of Gaudí burned during a brake-in.
In any case, even if unfinished, it is truly one of the most marvelous exponents of modernism and, generally, of art nouveau, and the best re-interpretation of the Gothic style since the Middle Ages.
The exterior has heavy symbology. There are three façades, dedicated to the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory. Also, the 18 towers have a meaning: 12 of the towers represent the apostles, four of them represent the evangelists, one the Virgin Mary and the highest one will represent Jesus Christ. This last tower will reach the impressive height of 170m. However, Gaudí thought that nothing man-made should be heigher than God’s work. That is why this tower is one meter shorter than Montjuïc, the hill south of Barcelona.
The interior
In 2010 the interior was finalised and Sagrada Familia was consacrated as a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI. Gaudí found inspiration in nature for the interior’s design. He used hanged weighted strings to understand how natural arches form and, if you look up, you will feel like you are in a forest. If you pair your visit with good weather and the right time of day (9 – 12 am), the sun will go through the painted glasses and create a fantastic explosion of color.
The basic ticket for Sagrada Família is 26€. You can buy the tickets with audioguide and skip the lines through this link.
Travel tip: although the entrance fee is not cheap it is completely worth it and a must if you are in Barcelona. Remember that with this price you are contributing to the construction of this amazing monument.
Closing statement
Keep reading about some other of Gaudí’s masterpieces:
Or read more about the wonders of Barcelona in these posts
Top 10 things to do in Barcelona
Route through Modernisme in Barcelona
Barcelona is a fantastic city and one of its most special features is the presence of modernisme and, in particular, the work of the great architect Antoni Gaudí. Make sure you don’t miss this experiences by buying the tickets for these attractions in Tiqets.com and skipping the lines here:
In particular I recommend purchasing the Barcelona Card if you are interested in visiting some of the city’s museums and attractions. With this card you get free entrance to many museums and attractions as well as unlimited use to the public transport for an amount of time as well as transport from and to the airport. It also includes a discount coupon booklet that you can use for other attractions, tours and entertainment of the city.
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