This is a delayed blog of our last day in Barcelona where we spent the morning visiting the Sagrada Familia Basilica.

Coming up from the metro you are greeted with an unbelievable sight.

The church is dedicated to the holy family; Joseph, Mary and Jesus. 

Begun in 1882 when Gaudi took over, his vision remains unfinished since his untimely death brought things to a halt.

Over the years the Basilica has become one of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks and personal donations have allowed his dream to approach reality. Visitors now number 15,000 a day!  ( we went on opening at 9AM and it was too crowded to move by 11AM)

The Sagrada Familia is an unexpected sight in its urban setting, with its twisted towers looming over the city. Surrounded by apartment buildings, grocery stores, and cafes. 

Gaudi wanted the cathedral to stand on its own, without internal bracing or external buttressing. As a result the interior of the basilica resembles a forest (tall pillars with branches) where light shines through the stained glass surrounding the structure on all sides. With his design the interior is beautifully open and airy. 

The nature analogy is found throughout and highlights the uniqueness of the vision. What other church has salamanders, depictions of many animals as well as colourful fruits.

The way that lights is used is amazing. Not only does the vast interior seem airy, but the windows are stained to maximize the hue of the rising morning sun as well as the blues of the later hours of the day.

It is hard to describe without seeing but hopefully the pictures capture some of the concepts.

One last understanding is that this is a church and almost everything tells a story from catholic theology. So although seemingly strange, our guide explained many of the thoughts behind each piece no matter how small or how large.