The architectural heritage of Barcelona during the period of the National Renaissance has received the historical name "Catalan modernism". At the turn of the XI-XX centuries. more than a hundred unique masterpieces of architecture appeared in the capital of Catalonia. Here is a list of the top 10 Barcelona Art Nouveau properties.
1. Sagrada Familia Cathedral
Sagrada Familia (photo: Sam valadi)
The monumental Sagrada Familia is an outstanding creation of Gaudi, the most famous architectural monument of Barcelona. The eighteen towers of the huge temple resemble mountain peaks or rockets ready to fly. Gaudi started work when part of the building, founded in 1892, had already been built. He contributed his innovative ideas to the project. The plastic decoration of the facades is magnificent, dedicated to the stages of the earthly life of Jesus. The construction of the majestic cathedral continues: completion is scheduled for 2040.
2. La Pedrera
The second name of this mansion is Dom Mila. The building with curved facades resembles the mysterious mountain of Montserrat. Casa Mila is the last completed work of Gaudi, a monument of national importance, a UNESCO site. The appearance of the building is unique even for the bright Art Nouveau style: the outer walls look like coastal cliffs, the wrought-iron balcony grilles look like sea grass. Chiaroscuro creates optical effects of movement on the facade.
3 Palace of Catalan Music
Façade of the Palace (photo: Nicolas Blanzac)
This concert hall is called the palace for its luxurious sublime appearance. Domènech y Montaner built the building for the Orfeó Català choir. The design of the facades of the Palace combines the features of the Arabic style and traditional Spanish architecture. The exterior is dominated by curved lines, floral motifs, ceramic decor, colored glass. The concert hall has natural lighting through a stained-glass ceiling made in the form of a concave dome.
4. Hospital of the Holy Cross and St. Paul
Sant Pau Hospital (photo: Santi)
The project Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau was created by the master of modernity - Luis-Domenech-i-Montaner. The structure of the complex consists of 26 original pavilions with mosaics, stained glass windows, luxurious ceramics. The buildings are crowned with domes, hipped roofs, pointed towers, decorated with Moorish arches, rotundas, pilasters and relief decor. The interiors are decorated with columns, rib vaults, colored mosaics. The Sant Pau Hospital is included in the UNESCO list.
5. Casa Batlló
This house is the work of Gaudí, completed in 1877. There are no straight lines in the external appearance and internal structure of the building: curved outlines predominate. The house is decorated with tiles, forged elements, stained-glass windows. The slender columns on the façade look like parts of a skeleton, which is why Casa Batllo is called the "house of bones".
This building has been reconstructed from an earlier mansion. It has a flat facade, painted with sgraffito, stepped pediments decorated with mosaics, luxurious carved window frames. The main portal is decorated with biblical themes. The architect of the project was the Catalan Puig i Cadafalch.
7. Building of the Antoni Tapies Foundation
Anthony Tapies Foundation (photo: solrak14)
The Tapies Foundation is housed in a building designed by Domènech y Montaner. The building was built in the style of early Catalan modernism. It was built on the basis of metal structures, made of red brick. Under the roof of the Foundation are located the Museum of Antonia Tapies and the Center for Contemporary Art Research.
8. Palace Güell
Palau Güell (photo: Lieven SOETE)
Gaudi built the Palazzo Güell after the old Venetian Doge's palaces. The building is made of light stone, its twenty towers-chimneys, covered with ceramics, look like a mystical forest. The main hall of the palace occupies all floors: the height of the vaults reaches 20 m.
9. Casa Terrades
Casa de les Punches (Pinchas) (photo: Claude)
The Casa de les Punches (House Terrades), built in 1903, is called the "House of Thorns" - for the towers with sharp spiers. Each of its six facades received an individual design. The building was decorated with ceramic panels, exquisite stone carvings, and forged balustrades.
10. House of Leo Morera
Lleó Morera house (photo: Yuri Rapoport)
Casa Lleo Morera is a masterpiece of Catalan modernism, reconstructed by Montaner in 1906. The curved facade is decorated with spectacular porticos and balustrades, a rotunda is installed on the corner, and a tempietto tower on the roof. The lower floor is surrounded by a chain of pink marble columns. The sculptural decoration was done by Eusebi Arnau.
Art Nouveau buildings in Barcelona on the map
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Friends, whoever believes that the magnificent architecture of Barcelona is exhausted by the objects of Antoni Gaudí is mistaken. This city has dozens of beautiful palaces, temples, mansions and towers. Barcelona has shaped its unique image in several waves of developments.
The modern capital of Catalonia is distinguished, first of all, by the bright original buildings of the Art Nouveau era and is complemented by buildings of mixed styles. Many of them were built for international exhibitions. Medieval architecture has also been preserved in the Gothic quarter, and in recent decades a number of eye-catching ultra-modern objects have appeared.
All this architectural stylistic abundance is peacefully combined and intertwined, just like the objects of different authors. Here's how two masterpieces stand side by side - Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudí and Amalie Mansion by Josep Puig i Cadafalch:
On Avenue Gracia, not even a duet of modernist masterpieces that fit in the photo, but a trio gathered. Why this site was dubbed. The third mansion of Leo Morera was built by Luis Domènech y Montaner - you saw this palace with a patterned turret in the first photo.
These three architects have done a lot to shape the modernist image of Barcelona. The merits of each of these masters are highly valued in Spain. Since I have already described the architecture earlier, in this article I will present other objects in Barcelona that deserve no less attention.
- Catalan Art Nouveau in Eixample and Gracia
- house with thorns
- Sant Pau Hospital Complex
- Art Nouveau port
- Ancient architecture of the gothic quarter
- Variety of styles
This list must be at least tripled in order to acquaint you with the best objects in Barcelona. However, my short review will give some idea of the variety of remarkable buildings.
Catalan Art Nouveau in Eixample and Gracia
Eixample and Gracia form the center of modern Barcelona. These areas were meticulously planned and no less carefully built up. Almost every house attracts with a facade worked out to the last detail.
The Eixample is located immediately behind the square, stretching north, and smoothly merges into Gracia. When, in the middle of the 19th century, a decision was made to expand Barcelona, the commission considered projects for a long time, what would be the future areas. We settled on the perfectly lined layout of Ildefons Cerda.
As new quarters were settled by wealthy industrialists, palaces appeared here, one better than the other. Now tourists travel around Barcelona by bus and only have time to turn their heads around, looking at the wavy facades, as in, and the towers of mansions with sculptures.
Some buildings are distinguished by elements of the Arabic Mudéjar style, which, with its delicate patterns, is organically woven into the naturalistic lines of Art Nouveau.
However, Catalan modernism developed on the basis of Mudéjar, which can be seen in the early works of Gaudí and other authors. But, the more the architects of Spain were fond of the image of nature, the less they adhered to straight and clear lines, and more and more actively used smooth transitions and soft contours. Here is a prime example:
If you are interested in Catalan Art Nouveau, then in Barcelona you do not need to go far. Head from Plaza Catalunya along the Eixample and Gracia and see dozens of interesting objects.
house with thorns
On the stretch between two famous buildings - the Pedrera mansion and the temple - there is another very remarkable palace or castle. In the common people, it is called the House with Thorns or the House with Spires.
This palace-castle was built by the already familiar architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1903-05. The complex architectural style of the house with several towers-spiers combined neo-Gothic with Art Nouveau.
The luxurious building was intended for the three daughters of the textile manufacturer Bartolomeo Terradas. Of course, the sisters did not need so much living space, and they leased part of the premises to commercial organizations.
More recently, tourists only looked at this building and wondered why excursions to such an original palace were not provided. In 2016, this issue was resolved, and now you can not only see the house from the outside, but actually visit it.
Hospital Complex of the Holy Cross and St. Paul
Not far from the Sagrada Familia is another architectural marvel - the Sant Pau Hospital. What can be interesting about the hospital complex? Ordinary - hardly interested. But the hospital in Barcelona, which was built by Luis Domènech y Montaner, cannot be called ordinary.
The modernist architect set to work in 1901 and in a few years, according to his designs, a complex of buildings was created, each of which is a masterpiece of modernity. The photo shows the facade, and behind it is a large courtyard, where beautiful buildings lined the perimeter with towers, domes, graceful bay windows and balconies.
Any building of the complex is a completed exquisite project. But they are all connected by underground passages.
The Sant Pau Hospital performed its direct functions until 2009, after which it was converted into a cultural center. This complex is included in the list of UNESCO sites. Guided tours are held daily in the hospital-museum. Guided tours are available in English, French, Spanish and Catalan.
Casa Roviralta
Not all modern buildings are concentrated in the center of Barcelona. We saw exquisite and original mansions while walking up Av.Tibidabo when we headed up the mountain. This area was reputed to be no less rich than Eixample and Gracia, so it shines with luxurious architecture. Take a look at least at the house of Roviralta, which is also called the White Monk.
The history of this house also began with an inconspicuous building belonging to the Dominican monastic order. In the early 1900s, the house was purchased by a representative of a noble family, Theodor Roviralt. The architect Joan Rubio i Belver undertook the reconstruction and in 10 years transformed the building into a unique object. An excellent attic and a new terrace appeared, all openings are originally decorated with brick ornaments.
Passers-by invariably stop at Roviralt's house to take a couple of pictures. Drivers are so accustomed to this that they even obligingly slow down so as not to interfere with taking pictures. But you can capture not only the appearance of the building. Now a restaurant is open in the mansion, so the interior is also available for everyone to see.
Art Nouveau port
Luxurious Art Nouveau decoration also attracts buildings on the embankment. Of particular note is the old Port Authority of Vell, which was built in 1907 as a maritime station.
At present, the port of Barcelona has expanded so much that its main structures have moved to the west, where there are new buildings for passengers and berths for liners. But the beautiful modernist building is still in demand. True, it is now intended for administrative departments.
And travelers are sure to walk along these remarkable facades:
It's interesting, but no one anywhere says who built such a beautiful building. For what reason were the authors left in the shadows?..
The architecture of the gothic quarter
In almost all areas of Barcelona you can see objects in the Art Nouveau style. Only the Gothic quarter retains its special appearance, which was formed much earlier. The architecture of the ancient city, starting from the Middle Ages, corresponded to the Gothic style. Many buildings have been preserved, and if some of them were rebuilt, then, most often, they adhered to the Catalan neo-Gothic.
Look how majestic and beautiful, which I talked about earlier. This temple stands in the center of the quarter, and narrow ancient streets wind around it. One of the most colorful is Bizbe Street, which connects the square in front of the cathedral and St. Jaume Square.
The Gothic quarter retained the layout from the Roman period, when the main streets intersected to form the square of the forum. Here Bizbe Street is one of those main streets. With a width of no more than three meters ... However, when you walk around this quarter, you will see many transitions that are still narrower, since the role of the main ones has never shone ...
And the former forum - the current St. Jaume Square - was and remains the center of government. On the square opposite each other there are two palaces built as administrative buildings in the second half of the 14th century.
This palace is the seat of the government of Catalonia, and the second is the seat of the municipal government of Barcelona. They were also rebuilt and expanded. It was during the Renaissance, so medieval buildings acquired Renaissance facades. But the Gothic basis is also preserved. Behind the façade is hidden the central courtyard with the main staircase and circular galleries.
Variety of styles
Friends, as you can see, Barcelona is not only alive with modernity. The architecture of the city is represented by Gothic, Renaissance, and pseudo-historical styles. On the hill of Montjuic you will see a beautiful one with majestic domes.
And how unexpected that the century of the palace has not yet reached even a hundred years of age ... This is a pseudo-historical style, but the building was built for the International Exhibition of 1929 as the main pavilion. At the end of the exhibition, the palace was transformed into the National Museum.
From numerous viewing platforms, the modern architecture of Barcelona attracts attention. Among the new objects that have appeared in the city in recent decades, the Agbar Tower is especially impressive. Look and guess what architectural style this building belongs to.
Summing up, I note that Barcelona is an incredibly vibrant city in terms of architecture. And all this wealth must be seen with your own eyes!
Your euro guide Tatiana
At the end of the 19th century, after 1888 World's Fair waiting for Barcelona uncontrolled growth And extraordinary moment in the development of architecture. During these years, architectural styles were associated with social status, to have a house in a modernist style meant belonging to the richest class.
For this, the architects satisfy the whims and wishes of their customers, began to create buildings with unique and special style using floral ornaments, forged ornaments, wavy shapes, stained-glass windows, frescoes, ceramic mosaics and much more.
Starting with Eixample...
The most modernist area Barcelona, without a doubt, can be considered: here you will find the most iconic buildings of the city. Where to begin? You can go to Plaza Catalunya and from there move along one of the most famous streets of the city,. The first buildings on your way will be Union and Phoenix built between 1927 and 1931 architects Eusebi Bona Puig and Frederic Mars, And Palace of Malagrida built in 1905-1908 Joaquin Codin.
A little ahead and to the left you will find the famous Apple of discord , it is in this part of the avenue that three works created by three prominent architects of Catalan modernism are presented: House of Leo Morera Luis Domènech y Montaner, House of Amalie by the architect J. Puig i Cadafalch and of course, de Gaudi.
Excursions in Barcelona
We offer you with our friends - the Tripster team :) The guys offer exciting and exciting tours by locals in different parts of the world. They are sure that no one can tell about all the mysteries and delights of the city better than those who live there. We suggest you familiarize yourself with possible excursions and tours on their website.
To begin with, a short digression about the Catalan Art Nouveau. This is not exactly the same as French Art Nouveau.
For Catalonia at the end of the nineteenth century, Art Nouveau meant not just a new art (flowing lines, asymmetry, inspiration from nature and symbolism) and industrial progress (iron, glass and concrete, which allowed experimentation with materials), but also the revival of Catalan culture.
Purely Catalan in Art Nouveau - traditional crafts (color mosaic) and mythological plots (the legend of the patron saint of Catalonia, St. George). It is worth remembering the influence of Arabic architecture, which has always been strong in Spain.
Art Nouveau in Barcelona is associated with Antoni Gaudí. But we will tell not only about his houses, but also about the buildings of other famous architects who worked at the same time. The main platform on which modernists honed their fantasies at the beginning of the twentieth century was the modern Eixample district.
The wealthy Catalan bourgeoisie needed new houses with which to trump in front of friends. This is how Eixample appeared with the Gracia Boulevard. Three main architects of the Catalan Art Nouveau built buildings on it: Antonio Gaudi, Luis Domenech-i-Montaner and Josep Puig-i-Cadafalk.
Three Art Nouveau masterpieces stand side by side on Gracia Boulevard: Gaudí's Casa Batlló, Domènech y Montaner's Leo Morera House and Amalle Puigia y Cadafalch's House. This quarter was called the "Apple of Discord" (Illa de la Discordia).
Batllo is the most unusual and striking project of Gaudí, commissioned by the industrialist Josep Batlló y Casanovas. The legend of St. George is encrypted in the architecture. The roof is reminiscent of the backbone of a dragon, the turret-dome is the hilt of a saint's sword.
The silhouette of the house, both inside and outside, seems like a bizarre skeleton. The balconies look like bones and carnival masks.
The facade, lined with polychrome colored mosaics, changes shades depending on the lighting (Monet's Water Lilies come to mind).
To clad the house, Gaudí used traditional Catalan techniques - colored mosaics for the facade and roof, as well as white and blue tiles for the courtyard.
Tours of the house come with a cleverly composed audio guide, right down to the instructions: "Now look at the patio from the bottom up."
CASA LLEÓ MORERA
House of the architect Luis Domènech y Montaner, one of the founders and ideologists of the Catalan Art Nouveau. The order came in 1902 from Señora Francesca Morera, whose family had grown rich in the New World. Then the name of her son, Leo, was added to the name.
The facade has not been preserved in its original form, but you can still see statues, classical ones, but if you look closely, they are holding signs of the times in their hands - a gramophone, a telephone and an electric light bulb.
Domenech y Montaner came up with the architectural design of the house, and the interior decoration was invited to do the prominent masters of those times - sculptors, cabinetmakers and glaziers. Now restored interiors with rich wood trim, ceramics and mosaics.
It is curious that everywhere you come across symbols associated with the names of the owners. Morera is translated as "mulberry", so flower-shaped ceramics, images of a mulberry tree in stained-glass windows and mosaics. 
Also look for a stone lion, because this is how the name Leo is translated. The brightest part of the house is the incredible stained-glass windows with cockerels and mosaics with ladies relaxing on the lawn by the pond. All visits to the House of Leo Morera are by appointment only on the website.
CASA MILÀ (LA PEDRERA)
House Mila, also called the quarry (La Pedrera). In 1905, magnate Pere Mila commissioned Antonio Gaudi to build a house with apartments for rent, including apartments for himself.
The architect emphasized the undulating façade and wrought iron balconies. It seems that withered ivy wraps around a stone. Mila is known for its prominent roof, where the architect disguised chimneys and vents as stone warriors.
It is believed that medieval knights were taken as a model for the figures. Perhaps Gaudi also thought about the ancient Greek myth about the teeth of the dragon, from which the warriors grew. For some reason, 33 heroes from the depths of the sea came to our minds in The Tale of Tsar Saltan. The main point of visit in Mile is the rooftop and one of the apartments, which retains the furnishings of the early 20th century.
PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
One of the most important architectural projects of Luis Domenech y Montaner is the House of Catalan Music, which he worked on from 1905 to 1908.
The red-brick façade contains some Moorish influences, with typical turrets and columns, but also modernist sculptures, wrought iron, mosaics and colorful tiles.
The building makes a stunning impression from the inside, stained-glass windows and mosaics in the foyer, and a concert hall with enamel panels on the ceiling, a stained-glass dome and stained-glass windows around the entire perimeter.
Due to the abundance of glass for the concert hall, only natural light is used during the day. You can take a guided tour of the House of Catalan Music.
HOSPITAL DE SANT PAU
Another work of Luis Domenech y Montaner is St. Paul's Hospital. In terms of scale, it can partly be compared with the Sagrada Familia of Gaudí's colleague.
The original idea of the architect was to build 48 modern and functional pavilions, but only 27 of them were built.
He combined elements of Gothic and Arabic style in the facade, adding colored tiles and tiles, as well as arsenic-coloured wrought iron structures, typical of Art Nouveau.
Inside - stained-glass windows, ceramics, mosaics with floral ornaments, lamps made of colored glass. Can you imagine such a hospital?
The hospital has now moved to a new building. The pavilions of the Hospital de Sant Pau have been restored and turned into a museum.
CASA AMATLLER
The third important name for Catalan Art Nouveau is Josep Puig i Cadafalch. In The Apple of Discord, his House of Amalle stands in the middle between the houses of Batllo and Leo Morera. As with his colleagues, the house was commissioned by the nouveau riche chocolate magnate Antonio Amalie.
Puig y Cadafalch provided the house with a stepped Flemish gable and Gothic windows. The facade is tiled in pastel colors, which makes the building look a bit like a gingerbread house.
In 1870 he entered the Barcelona School of Architecture, in 1878 he received a diploma and opened his own architectural studio.
In 1957, Le Corbusier calls Gaudí "the designer of the 20th century." and modern criticism emphasizes his amazing ability to combine the talents of a builder, sculptor, artist and architect. Gaudí worked for 48 years. The main part of his projects was made for Barcelona and implemented in it. Its architecture is far from generally accepted. He considered a chicken egg to be a model of perfection. Don Antonio led a modest life: he ate mostly salad and cheap fruit mixed with milk. He always wore the same suit. Passers-by on the streets mistook him for a beggar and gave alms. He lived in his own world, renouncing everything worldly. “To avoid disappointment, one should not succumb to illusions,” he justified himself, arguing that each person should have a homeland, and a family should have its own home.
“Renting a house is like immigrating,” Gaudí urged others, having had no family or home all his life. He spent his whole life in Catalonia, leaving it only once in 1887 for a short time.
His seemingly insane projects were financed by the wealthy cotton industrialist Don Eusebio Güell.
Thanks to Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona is unlike any other city in the world.
On June 7, 1926, the first tram was launched in Barcelona. On the same day, an unknown beggar old man fell under him. He died in a homeless shelter and was to be buried in a common grave. Quite by accident, an elderly woman recognized him. It was Antonio Gaudí, a brilliant architect, a great modernist, the most famous and most beloved citizen of Barcelona, who created its appearance and its symbol. A man whose life is mysticism and mystery.
KING OF IRON
Several personalities have made Barcelona what it is, starting with Hannibal and Emperor Augustus.
But one person, almost our contemporary, finally determined the look of the city, its style. His name was Antonio Gaudi.
He was called differently: the king of iron, the king of architecture, the king of modernity. He created his Art Nouveau kingdom, and the best part of it is in Barcelona.
Gaudí was born into a family of craftsmen. His father, his grandfather, his grandfather's father and his great-grandfather's grandfather were boilermakers. And they made boilers of any complexity without any drawings. Therefore, the desire to forge something from Gaudí is hereditary. He also built all his life without drawings, so no one could finish building his projects. Throughout his life, Gaudí was a very religious and mystical person. He prayed a lot, did not care about his appearance at all, and all the time wanted to build churches. But fate played with this man and his creations.
KING OF ARCHITECTURE
On the street Nou de la Rambla is the Palace Güell. Don Eusebio Güell, count, industrialist and very wealthy man, was a constant customer and patron of Gaudí. For which he became famous throughout the ages. On Carolinas Street, where the 30-year-old Gaudi built something gingerbread, Moorish-tower, painted and chess, with berries, leaves, cones and cells - Casa Vincens. And in our opinion - the house of Manuel Vincens y Montaner. It happened in 1883, when in European architecture the Art Nouveau style was just hatching, and in Spain it was not even planned. That is why Gaudi is considered the father of Art Nouveau, Art Nouveau in architecture.
Gaudí's next masterpiece is called Pavilions Güell. These are the remains of Count Güell's former estate, which includes a highly intricate, brick-and-scale stable and a wrought-iron gate with extravagant dragons. Now this place is called "Pedralbes Palace".
KING OF MODERN
Gaudi was very lucky. And not only with customers and patrons, but also with the place and time. He appeared in Barcelona when Catalonia gained independence, and the city was rapidly changing. In 1860, the people of Barcelona destroyed the city wall, then broke down the gloomy fortress of Ciutadella, and in its place they arranged a beautiful park with fountains and museums. Gaudi also did not stand aside: while still a student, he, together with his teacher, built a grandiose structure in the park called "Cascade" - a cross between a waterfall and a triumphal arch.
Behind the broken city wall, a new area arose, nicknamed the Eixample, that is, the Expansion. The most daring architectural projects, the most unusual ideas could be embodied here. The quarter in which the architects practiced wit was called the Quarter of Discord. His houses - one more intricate than the other - have become an anthology of Art Nouveau. Gaudi's first contribution to the style of the new quarter is Casa Calvet (Casa is a house, and Calvet is another family of manufacturers, this time textile). In the same Quarter of Discords, on Gràcia Avenue, Gaudí gave free rein to his fantasy to the fullest. Casa Batlo is a complete modernist style. Casa Mila is Gaudí's next masterpiece and is popularly called La Pedrera. It is located on the same Avenue Gràcia. The house is like a concrete wave sweeping the sidewalk, like a wild rock that grows in the middle of the street. Gaudí said that Pedrera's fantastic shapes "resonate with the contours of the mountains surrounding Barcelona, which are visible from the roof of this house." From the inside, the house is much more impressive, especially the patio and the attic, where the Gaudí museum is located.
A stone rose is carved under the very roof, next to it are the words of a prayer.
La Pedrera is one of the most famous houses in the world. Part of it is occupied by a Catalan bank, part is residential apartments. It still belongs to the Mila family, for whom it was once built. Once a year, all family members come to Barcelona to take pictures near their home.
Park Guell- the most cheerful work of Gaudí.
The count bought a huge plot of land to build on it the city of the future, the garden city. However, the city did not work out: only two land plots were sold for development. But the park turned out great. Gaudi managed to build overpasses for cars and pedestrian paths hidden in fancy galleries, a square hovering over the park, ornate stairs and gingerbread houses at the entrance. In the middle of everything rises the Hall of the Hundred Columns, which was to become a market. Everything in the park flows, everything twists and turns - paths, bridges, and benches decorated with ceramic mosaics.
There are only two houses in the park, and one of them became the last refuge of Gaudí. He lived in a small garden pavilion, occupying one of its rooms, modest to the point of minimalism. However, Gaudi never paid attention to his home and to himself. He went about in clothes that came to hand, not changing them for years - the housekeeper only watched her cleanliness. The house served only as an overnight stay for him, he spent the rest of the time at construction sites. Now the Gaudí Museum is open in the garden house. There are collected many beautiful things created by him for different interiors.
TEMPLE OF REDIMATION
Gaudi considered the temple to be his most important brainchild. Sagrada Familia, the expiatory temple of the Holy Family, began to be built in 1882 as an ordinary cathedral.
But then Gaudi appeared, took charge of the work and began to build something unprecedented and unheard of with 170-meter towers, fantastic shapes, spiral staircases, sculptures growing out of the walls, with mosaics - no longer from fragments of tiles, but from Venetian glass. A block of stone from Montserrat, sacred to the Catalans, is immured into the Gate of Hope. When the crypt was completed, Gaudi hurried. He almost moved from Park Güell to Sagrada, lived in a tiny closet at the construction site, looked like a ragamuffin, ate only when one of the students put bread directly into his hands. Gaudi was obsessed, he wanted to finish the cathedral as soon as possible, because new ideas were already piled up in his head.
He was 74 years old.
At this time, Barcelona lived its normal life. In the city, which had grown greatly during the Expansion, a tram was launched. The first bright red carriage ran on rails on June 7, 1926. On the same day, an unknown beggar old man fell under him. He was taken to the new Hospital of the Holy Cross, a beautiful Art Nouveau complex built by Gaudí's archrival Domènech y Montaner, not far from the Sagrada Familia, which was under construction. The old man died without regaining consciousness in a hospital for the poor. Like all vagabonds, he was to be buried in a common grave in a few days. No one worried when Gaudi did not show up at the construction site: he had not been feeling well lately. The housekeeper did not suspect anything: he often stayed overnight in the temple. Only three days later they began to look for him, but they only managed to save him from a common grave.
