The Temple Expiatori of La Sagrada Familia (abbr. La Sagrada Familia), uses iconography, a formal composition, and numerology to create a monumental moment to teach and tell the story of the New Testament to Christians of all backgrounds. La Sagrada Familia, whose design is attributed to Antonio Gaudi, is a modernisme (a style of Catalan Architecture that has ties to Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothicism) minor basilica located in Barcelona, Spain.
The use of multiple iconographic scenes and symbolic forms throughout the structure are indicative of Gaudi’s motives to establish La Sagrada Familia as a building dedicated to the retelling of the New Testament. The three main facades all tell different parts of Jesus’ story. Chronologically, one would …show more content…
To understand Guadi’s composition, however, one must understand the specific program and the history of La Sagrada Familia. The patron of La Sagrada Familia, Josep Maria Bocabella Verdaguer, as stated above, was the founder of the Asociacion Espiritual de San Jose (Bassegoda i Nonell, 107), and was a devout catholic, and decided to build a church dedicated to “La Sagrada Familia,” or the Sacred Family. La Sagrada Familia is, therefore, an expiatory temple, which is a type of temple dedicated to a deity to show devotion, which is a reason as to why the work’s scale is so immense, and why Gaudi paid so much attention to small details. Gaudi’s decision to work at such a large scale is also because he wanted the church to be seen from anywhere in the city of Barcelona, inviting those who need salvation to come and be saved. Gaudi’s plan was limited however, because it is a Roman Catholic church, and, therefore, must follow a Latin Cross plan (Permanyer, 1999). The composition of the façades is extremely vertical, directing your sight line upward and to the heavens where God, but more importantly, Jesus and Mary reside. Also, while the façades and the outward composition of La Sagrada Familia seem to be incredibly heavy, the inside is filled with polychromatic light, because of the Gothic inspired windows that fill the walls. The crypt, which is located below the apse, is mysteriously filled with light, thanks to Gaudi’s solution to add a ditch and include windows into the composition of the space. The use of light in the stone composition, something that is not new to churches as seen in many Gothic Cathedrals, where stone seemed to melt into light, marking the shift from the material world to the ethereal, immaterial
The use of multiple iconographic scenes and symbolic forms throughout the structure are indicative of Gaudi’s motives to establish La Sagrada Familia as a building dedicated to the retelling of the New Testament. The three main facades all tell different parts of Jesus’ story. Chronologically, one would …show more content…
To understand Guadi’s composition, however, one must understand the specific program and the history of La Sagrada Familia. The patron of La Sagrada Familia, Josep Maria Bocabella Verdaguer, as stated above, was the founder of the Asociacion Espiritual de San Jose (Bassegoda i Nonell, 107), and was a devout catholic, and decided to build a church dedicated to “La Sagrada Familia,” or the Sacred Family. La Sagrada Familia is, therefore, an expiatory temple, which is a type of temple dedicated to a deity to show devotion, which is a reason as to why the work’s scale is so immense, and why Gaudi paid so much attention to small details. Gaudi’s decision to work at such a large scale is also because he wanted the church to be seen from anywhere in the city of Barcelona, inviting those who need salvation to come and be saved. Gaudi’s plan was limited however, because it is a Roman Catholic church, and, therefore, must follow a Latin Cross plan (Permanyer, 1999). The composition of the façades is extremely vertical, directing your sight line upward and to the heavens where God, but more importantly, Jesus and Mary reside. Also, while the façades and the outward composition of La Sagrada Familia seem to be incredibly heavy, the inside is filled with polychromatic light, because of the Gothic inspired windows that fill the walls. The crypt, which is located below the apse, is mysteriously filled with light, thanks to Gaudi’s solution to add a ditch and include windows into the composition of the space. The use of light in the stone composition, something that is not new to churches as seen in many Gothic Cathedrals, where stone seemed to melt into light, marking the shift from the material world to the ethereal, immaterial