Scale model Sagrada Familia

Five years ago, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Sagrada Familia as a basilica. The construction of this massive church began in 1882 and will hopefully be finished in ten years’ time. It is the life work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi. The magical building also comes in the shape of a chess set, on display at the Chessmen Museum.

Antoni Gaudi was born in 1852, a time when Europe was changing. The industrial revolution found its way to the Spanish region of Catalonia too and a growing number of small farmers and artisans moved to the city to work in the factories. Gaudi´s father was a coppersmith, just like his grandfather, his grandfather’s grandfather and his wife´s family. His son could often be found wandering around the workshop and if he wasn´t there then he would be outside, observing nature.

In 1869, father Gaudi sold part of his possessions in his native town Reus so he could move to nearby Barcelona together with his two sons. The elder of the two, Francesc, went on to study Medicine and Antoni prepared for his architectural studies. The talented young man graduated ten years later and in no time he became one of the most promising architects in Catalonia.

The Sacred Family
Urbanisation and industrialisation were causing secularisation of the people. The deeply religious bookseller Josep Maria Bocabella wanted to put a stop to this. He founded a religious association and a corresponding magazine that focussed on labourers and their urban morals. Bocabella also bought a large terrain on the outskirts of Barcelona with the intention of having a church built there. The church was dedicated to the Sacred Family: Jesus and his earthly parents Mary and Joseph, who served as role models for the working man. The church had to be financed by gifts from inspired labourers.

Architect Francesc de Paula Villar supported the project and drew up a plan for a neo-Gothic church free of charge. Construction began in 1882 but soon after, Villar got into an argument over technical details with Joan Martorell, Bocabella´s architect and consultant. Because of the argument, Martorell didn´t want to take Villar´s place when he left and he recommended an ex-employee of his instead: Gaudi, who was 31 at the time. Gaudi would be more mouldable than Villar. And so, in 1883, the young Gaudi came to be head-architect of the Expiatory Church to be, the Sagrada Familia.

Enchanting models
Villar had already started building the crypt and the floor plan of the church had been decided. At the start, Gaudi stuck to the original building plan, but after receiving a legacy in 189o, he became more ambitious and he expanded the design. However, Gaudi wasn´t completely free to do as he pleased: the design he submitted for the chapel of Mary for example, was rejected. The architect did not continue in the neo-Gothic style of his predecessor but instead incorporated the rich symbolism of medieval Roman Catholicism. His fairy tale-like style, inspired by nature as well as religion, is known as Catalan Modernism and is related to contemporary European style Art Nouveau or Jugendstil.

It was typical of Gaudi to not only draw his designs but also to turn them into three-dimensional scale models, which, considering the complexity of the building, came in ever so handy for the building contractors. Unfortunately, these scale models plus a large number of drawings were destroyed in a fire during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Life work
During his career Gaudi designed a number of other churches and public buildings, but from 1914 onwards he dedicated himself exclusively to the construction of the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi realised that he wouldn´t be able to finish the titanic project during his lifetime and decided to stop working horizontally and finish at least one part of the church from top to bottom. Of the 18 towers he designed he would only finish one. This had nothing to do with Gaudi´s dedication. In 1925 he went to live on the building site and he worked on the construction of the church all week long, apart from Sunday mornings, when he would go out for a walk with his students. Fate was not on his side though, because in 1926, Gaudi was hit by a tram. He died of his injuries three days later while in hospital, at the age of 74. The funeral of the master was held in his own church and attracted a lot of attention.

If you are curious about the ingenious church, but don´t want to travel all the way to Barcelona, then come and have a look at the miniature version at the Chessmen Museum.

By Marjolein Overmeer