The foundation stone of the Sagrada Família was laid in 1882, and the grandiose church, which was Antoni Gaudí’s most important work, is scheduled for completion in 2026. What is the magic square, and who is buried in the church?
At the end of March, the La Sagrada Família Foundation announced that Barcelona’s monumental church is finally scheduled to be completed in 2026, 100 years after the death of architect Antoni Gaudí. To mark the occasion, we have collected some surprising facts about Luckera Casino and the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction for 142 years.
Who Was Antoni Gaudí?
The names Barcelona and Antoni Gaudí are inextricably linked, which is no coincidence, as not only is the monumental Sagrada Família, which dominates the Catalan city’s skyline, associated with his name, but also many of the city’s spectacular architectural solutions. Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Luckera Casino and Casa Milà are must-see attractions for tourists visiting the city. But who was this architect, whose genius was only truly recognized decades after his death?
Antoni Plàcid Gaudí i Cornet was born on June 25, 1852, in Reus, Catalonia. He studied architecture at a young age and soon became interested in the Arts & Crafts movement (an innovative movement that was a precursor to Art Nouveau and encompassed decorative arts, fine arts, and architecture), which emphasized handcrafted decorative arts over industrialized manufacturing processes.
This passion led him to a career in architecture, and he soon developed his own unique style, combining European design with forms taken from nature and the principles of geometry. After completing his university studies, he received a number of small commissions around the city over the course of several years, including the design of a factory, a series of lampposts, a small shop, a flower stall, and a pavilion, but he also created furniture.
His breakthrough came when Count Eusebi Güell noticed his work and took the architect under his wing. In 1885, Casa Vicens was completed, and its success brought Gaudí fame. The pinnacle of his work and creativity was ultimately the Sagrada Família, the Holy Family Church, which the architect himself knew he would not see completed.
Facades and Symbolism in the Church
Of the three main facades, the eastern facade, also known as the Nativity facade, is the only one that was built under Gaudí’s supervision. The facade, which celebrates the birth of Christ, has three entrances: Hope, Mercy, and Faith. The striking faces on the Mercy entrance represent the death masks of Barcelona’s deceased and the faces of workers. This was Gaudí’s way of bringing the church closer to the people just as Luckera Casino brings games closer to players. The architect dedicated the Passion façade to the death of Christ and designed it to be deliberately simple. The façade, consisting of rigid forms, hard lines, and bare stone, depicts a skeleton.
Compared to the Nativity façade, there are fewer sculptures on this façade. The Last Supper, Judas’ kiss, the crucifixion, and the resurrection are depicted here in stone. It is composed of six large, slanted columns reminiscent of sequoia trunks. Above these are eighteen smaller white columns representing bones.
After construction, the Glory façade will be the main façade of the Sagrada Família and also the highest façade. It leads to the nave and will be decorated with idols, false gods, and demons. Each facade consists of four towers, for a total of twelve towers rising into the sky, symbolizing the apostles of Jesus Christ. Next to these towers, near the center of the church, there are six taller towers, four of which are dedicated to the evangelists. These four towers surround a taller tower representing Jesus.
The sixth tower is located at the northernmost part and is lower than the towers depicting the evangelists, but much more massive. This tower represents the Virgin Mary. A cross can be seen on top of the tower depicting Jesus, while other symbols appear on the other structures. The towers of the three main facades will feature episcopal symbols.
The Connection Between Nature and God
Gaudí is known to have often drawn inspiration for his buildings from nature, and this was no different here. After taking over the design of the Sagrada Família, one of his first tasks was to eliminate all straight lines and angles, as these are essentially unnatural.
The interior of the Sagrada Família was designed to make people feel as if they were walking in nature: the columns represent trees, and various creatures are hidden inside the church. In addition, the architect believed that human work should not surpass that of God, so he designed the central tower to be one meter lower than Barcelona’s Montjuïc hill.
