The Most Jaw-Droppingly Stunning Cathedral In The World

 After we left the most beautiful hospital in the world, we stopped for lunch at La Selva, which means “The Forest.”  A steak place, it was unusual.  The food was good.  I had a small ribeye, which they cooked rare, sliced, and brought to the table with hot rocks so I could cook the steak as I liked it, which is, of course medium rare.

It’s unusual for two reasons.  First, the tables for two have swings for the seats.  It looked like the kind of case you would bring a second date, if I had that kind of money back in the day, which I assuredly did not.  Second, the decor is fake forest, which is okay for one meal, but wouldn’t entice me back for another meal.  That said, in the area between Hospital de Sant Pau and Sagrada Familia, it’s a darn fine choice for lunch.

But now to the main point of this post – Sagrada Familia.  Those who have read my blog posts from our family visit there in 2009 and from Carol and I going there five times during our month in Barcelona 2019 know the depth of my feelings for the place (which Carol shares).  It is the most impressive architecture I have ever seen.  

There are few places that bring us as much consistent, day after day joy as Barcelona, and Gaudi, led by Sagrada Familia, is one reason why.  Do know that his other creations also spark joy, as the saying goes, but Sagrada Familia is the piece di resistance.

Sagrada Familia is stunning and awe-inspiring.  It is goose bump-inducing and jaw-dropping.  It is moving and it is beautiful beyond words.  It is fantastic and it is mind-blowing.  You have to see it to believe it.

Antoni Gaudi is, in my estimation, the great architect ever, and Sagrada Familia is the most impressive of the many works of his that we have seen.  Yes, we are impressed by the Cathedrals that are 500-900 years old, but Sagrada Familia is incredible and beyond words.

We started at the Nativity facade, which was designed by Gaudi and is a UNESCO World Heritage site in its own right.  The carvings are interesting, including a puppy, a Christmas tree with doves, a woman playing a harp, the three wisemen, and multiple depictions of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  The Nativity facade is on the east side of the cathedral, it was a cloudy day, and since it was the afternoon, the pictures were not as good as they are on a sunny morning.

The Three Wisemen on the Nativity Facade

I kid you not, in 2019 Carol and I made five total trips to Sagrada Familia.  Twice were simply to photograph the two facades – first to the Nativity (east facade) in the morning when the light was on it, and the second time a week or so later in the afternoon to the Passion facade on west side.

Back to Monday's visit.  We went inside, eschewing the audio guide, preferring just to soak it all in.  On the inside of the church, my favorite part is the modern stained glass windows of brilliant reds, oranges, greens, and blues.  The next time I go, I need to count the seemingly countless number of stained glass windows.  The sky-high ceiling is quite amazing.  There is even a mirror on a table on the floor that you can look down into to see the ceiling.

Also striking are the images of the four gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Part of the ceiling

One of the many stained

glass windows.

Apostle Mark, the Lion

Apostle Matthew,

the Winged Man

Taking a picture of the

ceiling using the mirror

The colors are magical.

Here the light from one

window is reflected

on the floor.

Apostle John, the Eagle

Just one portion of a window

My favorite part of the church is the Passion facade.  The sculptures on the facade are mind-blowing to me.  The great artist Josep Maria Subirachs was the primary driver of the sculptures.  Even though it wasn’t sunny, the Passion facade is cleaner and brighter than the Nativity facade partly because it is newer.

Subirachs is called "controversial" in some press I've seen.  Not to me.  To me he's an inspired genius.  I get it, other people find him controversial.

Passion facade photos:

Roman soldier

Here's the truth

Snake

The cruxifixion

Roman soldier throwing dice

for the clothes of Jesus

Finally, the towers of fruit bowls on the south side of the outside of the church, the animals and words on the north side, all are beautiful depictions, in Gaudi’s eyes, of God’s handiworks in nature.

The goal is for the final construction to finish in 2026.  I’m skeptical that the work will be done then.  We plan to come back when it’s done, hopefully in 2027.  We will never get tired of Barcelona.  Sagrada Familia is not the only reason we won't, but it is a big reason.