Travelogue
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Barcelona's
Antoni Gaudi (Part Two) ,
Flag of Spain Flag of Barcelona
Part One may have left some readers wondering: What is exceptionally unique in Barcelona? The Castellers? Or the Font Magica? Or Las Ramblas and La Boqueria? Isn’t it that each place, each city in the world has its own distinctive character in point of art and architecture, music and culture?
Park Güell is a 45-acre garden complex situated on the hill of Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by Gaudí and built from 1900 to 1914. It is now one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It takes a little bit of a hike from the bus stop to reach the Park. Walking to the park on a cloudy
day will take no effort at all
because around it are winding pathways with lush vegetation.
The project was intended for a community of sixty single-family residences
includes a central plaza overlooking the city. Gaudi was commissioned to
draw up plans for a garden city owned by his friend Eusebi Guell with
Barcelona’s economic elite as intended buyers.
Dr. Suess-style landscapes, located on a bald Mountain
in the neighborhood of Gracia”. The park entrance begins with a grand stairway featuring the
traditional symbol of
the park -- a large, colorful tile mosaic dragon.
Gaudi had a great appreciation for the topography of the site. He avoided any earth leveling, thus preserving the beauty of the mountain slope. He devised a system of viaducts, supported by tidal waves of inclined columns, which allowed for an extensive road system. Antoni and Guell also drew up a mandatory contract for Park Guell which was required to
be signed upon the purchase of
a plot, prohibiting the cutting of trees and other acts that might affect
the environment. Unfortunately, only three properties were sold -- two as a private residence of the Trias family, and one for the show-home, which Gaudi eventually ended up buying and made it his own residence.
Today, the house
has been converted into the Casa-Museu Gaudi.
Climb the stairs and find yourself in a square originally designed as an open-air market,
surrounded by benches
decorated with mosaic, and overlooking the city.
The spectacular color of the mosaics combine with a wonderful view for an urban park unlike any you have seen.
Casa Mila
The building is now owned by Caixa Catalunya.
“Every individual part has been growing
harmoniously and magnificently, ever since God the artist created it”,
said he. Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry') was built
during the years 1906–1910, being considered officially completed in 1912.
The top floor now houses the Gaudi museum showing a lot of “bigatures”.
It was built for the married couple, Rosario Segimon and Pere Milà.
Rosario Segimon was the wealthy widow of José Guardiola, an Indiano, a
term applied locally to the Catalans returning from the American colonies
with tremendous wealth. Her second husband was Pere Milà, a developer who
was criticized for his flamboyant lifestyle and ridiculed by residents of
Barcelona.
Façade details are considered by many as weird and mysterious.
with a roofscape of chimneys and vents resembling abstract
sculptures.” There are no straight line walls anywhere in this building. The extraordinary roof has a multitude of sculpted air ducts and chimneys that
look so threatening that they have been regarded as “witch scarers”.
Top photos (left to right): Glass Detail, Chimney Detail, Ceramic Detail The local government objected to some aspects of the project, fined the owners for many infractions of building codes, ordered the demolition of aspects exceeding the height standard for the city, and refused to approve the installation of a huge sculpture atop the building—described as "the Virgin"—but said to represent the primeval earth goddess, Gaia.
most unusual houses and recently, has opened its doors to the
public for the first time. resembles either a fish or a dragon. The design of the building has skeletal, organic characteristics –
the local
name for the structure is Casa dels Ossos (House of Bones). The arched roof has been likened to a dragon and the common theory is that the rounded feature to the left
of the center represents the sword
of Saint George (Barcelona’s patron Saint) plunging into the back of the
dragon. The building is very typical of Gaudi and his own version of
Art Noveau –
with all the curves and obvious avoidance of straight lines. Gaudi's style could be described as a mix of Art Nouveau and his own unique organic style which was influenced by shapes and structures from the natural world.
This photo of Sagrada Familia is taken from the roof of Casa Mila.
If you go to
Barcelona and have not gone inside and around Sagrada Familia, then the
city deserves a second visit. The Sagrada Familia is the most visited tourist attraction in Barcelona catering to over 2,000,000 visitors a year.
It is revered by the World of
Architecture as one of the most original and ambitious modern buildings.
It is a giant temple that has been under construction since 1882 (no exaggeration!)
and it's not expected to be completed in 30 or even 80
years.
Decidedly, the Sagrada Familia is Europe’s most unconventional church. Much controversy surrounds the building of the Sagrada Familia. Today new construction
materials are being used which some believe Gaudi himself
would not have used.
The actual style of
construction appears somewhat different between the new and old parts of
the building. Gaudi directed the construction of the Sagrada Familia until his death in 1926. He would often modify the structure until it was exactly what he had in mind. The present design is based on
reconstructed versions of the lost
plans as well as on modern adaptations. This giant church, with its colorful broken tile mosaics, and unique
sculptural design,
is by far Gaudi’s most recognized work.
However, the architect is not to be credited for the cathedral’s origins
nor its beginning stages of construction. The Sagrada Familia was a result
of Josep Maria Bocabella’s desire to promote the Catholic Church in a time
of social and religious instability in Spain. In 1876, Bocabella secured the property upon which the church would be built. The following year, Francisco del Villar began work on drawing the plans. Construction began in 1882. However, in 1883, Villar resigned from the project after disagreements over
building materials. The project was
then handed over to Montells, who declined but offered his young
apprentice, Antonio Gaudi.
The Passion Façade is replete with modern sculptures on the crucifixion
and death of Jesus. The Passion Façade conveys the solemnity of the crucifixion as seen in the sharp geometrical
shapes while the six columns resemble bones. Its
sculpted figures are angular are often disturbing.
The Nativity Façade is completely different in style and emphasis.
The Central Nave continues to be under construction. Besides branching like a tree to support their load, their ever-changing
surfaces
are the result of the intersection of various geometric forms.
The Nativity Façade is about the birth of Jesus. The doorways symbolize
faith, hope and charity.
Steep stone steps form spiral staircases allow access to the towers and
upper galleries.
Majestic views reward those who take the steps or take the elevator that
go up to the towers.
Above photo shows the Bell Towers; 8 of the 12 spires have been built, When finished, there will be total of eighteen tall towers representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles,
the four Evangelists, the
Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Themes throughout the decoration include words from the liturgy. The towers are decorated with words such as "Hosanna", "Excelsis", and "Sanctus".
A visit to Barcelona and Catalonia is not complete without a trip to Montserrat. Catholic or Protestant, Muslim or Christian,
believer or atheist, it would be a
shame and such big loss of opportunity not to spend a day at Montserrat.
From Barcelona's Plaça d'Espanya station, Montserrat can be reached by
While on a train, you will know for sure if you have arrived at
Montserrat, a mountain like no other. From the foot of the mountain, you may take a cable car that goes up the monastery. "Montserrat" literally means "jagged mountain" in Catalan. It describes the peculiar aspect of the rock formation, which is visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of
strikingly pink conglomerate, a form
of sedimentary rock, popular with climbers. Reaching the mountain by cable car you get an immediate sense of something special given its
natural beauty and the scenic setting of the magnificent
monastery located between the mountains. Between the 12th and 15th centuries the Romanesque church was built and the statue of Our Lady was
created and still stands in the Monastery where
thousands make the pilgrimage to see her every year. Between the 17th and 18th centuries the monastery at Montserrat became a centre for cultural
and historical appreciation. There is a world famous
boys’ choir that sings at certain times of the day.
Inside the cathedral is a statue of the Madonna and Child known as La
Moreneta, the dark little one. In 1844 the monks returned to Montserrat and reconstruction of the monastery began.
Its 1000th anniversary in 1880 marked the coronation of
the image of Our Lady as Patron St. of Catalonia.
After the war ended the monks
returned to the monastery. Since then the monastery has developed into a significant spiritual and cultural centre of the Catalan people.
Nearly all Catalans have made the
pilgrimage to Montserrat, some several times. the Funicular de Sant Joan funicular railway goes up to the top of the mountain, where there are
various abandoned hovels in
the cliff faces that were previously the abodes of reclusive monks. The funicular of Santa Cova was built in 1929 to make easier the access to the Stations of the Cross,
and the Santa Cova chapel, which are at a lower
level than the Monastery. The funicular Sant Joan was built to link the Monastery to the top of the
Santa Magdalena mountain where a footpath lead to the hermitage of Sant
Jeroni. which connect from the top entrance to the Sant Joan funicular, the monastery, or the base of the mountain.
The track is absolutely straight with a maximum gradient of 66%.
One could also pray the 14 Stations of the Cross while on a hike. A Church doctor notes that the Shrine of Montserrat is among the best candidates for former sanctuaries for the
Holy Grail. Further, in the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries esoteric Christian sects proliferated,
though not primarily in Spain. The dark color of Our Lady of Montserrat is attributed to the innumerable
candles and lamps that have burned day and night before the image.
that was soon erected. The statue has always been
considered one of the most celebrated images in Spain. This multitude includes secular and ecclesial rulers as well as a number of canonized Saints. The most notable of these was St. Ignatius of Loyola, who laid down his sword and embarked on his religious
mission "after spending a night praying before the image", a miracle in the order of
grace. The statue presently kept at the Montserrat shrine appears to have been introduced in the twelfth or thirteenth century. Its Romanesque style is consistent with this estimate. The shrine has received innumerable pilgrims over the years, currently at the rate of at least one million per year.
Right photo shows part of Montserrat, the architect’s inspiration in
designing the
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