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© James Santucci
It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that Barcelona was allowed to expand beyond its ancient walls. During this period of expansion, the president of the Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph, Josep Bocabella, arranged for the building of a church dedicated to the Holy Family. The original architect for the new church was Francisco de Villar. After a disagreement with Bocabella over the plans, Villar resigned and was replaced a few months later by Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926). As it turned out, the church was to be Gaudí's life work. What is taking shape (the church is still under construction and probably will not be completed until 2126 at the earliest) is one of the most fantastically designed churches anywhere in the world. What follows are samples of the artwork on the outer walls of the church.
For more pictures, click here
1. The side of the church facing the central façade of the Nativity.
2-3. The area of the church still under construction.
4.
The central façade was the
first portion of the church to be completed. It consists
of triple porticos: from
left to right the Door of Hope, the Door of Christian Love, and
the
Door of Faith. Above the Door of Hope is the betrothal of Mary and Joseph.
5.
Below the betrothal of Mary and Joseph are two figures representing the Wise
Man and Child, the Wise
Man (Joseph) being shown a wounded or dead dove.
The figures of Saint Anna
and Saint Joachim, Jesus' maternal grandparents, are
watching
them. This may be based on the story in Luke 2.22-24 ("When
the
time came for their purification according to the law of Moses,
they
brought
him [Jesus] up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord:
[as it is written in the
law of the Lord, "every firstborn male shall be designated
as holy to the
Lord,"] and they offered a sacrifice according to what is
stated in the law of the
Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" See Lev.
12 and Ex. 13.2 and 12).
On the lower left of the Joseph and Jesus is the Flight into Egypt. In
this scene
an angel guides the
donkey on which Mary, holding her child, is seated with Joseph
accompanying them.
Opposite the Flight into Egypt is
The Slaughter of the Innocents, an episode
that took place under Herod's
orders. The executioner is about to kill a child while
the mother is beseeching him
(Matthew 2.16).
6. The Door of Christian Love, the middle
doorway (divided by a column), is the
entrance to the
church. Above the doorway is the Adoration of the Child by Mary
(holding Jesus) and
Joseph standing on their right. On either side is the ox and the
donkey, which follows
popular tradition. Above these figures are cherubs gazing
on the new-born. In
the center above is the star with a trail of light emanating
downward onto Mother and
Child. Above the star is a large sculpture representing
the coronation of the
Virgin by Jesus.
7.
To the right of the Door of Christian Love are three musician angels.
Below them
are the shepherds
adoring the infant Jesus.
8.
The same three musician angels shown in No. 7. Two wingless angels with
trumpets are above
to the right. The trumpets represent the summoning
of all to the Final
Judgement.
9.
A close up of the Adoration of the Child (No. 6) and the cherubs gazing down
on the new-born.
10.
The Last Supper. The sculpture is found on the Façade of the
Passion, found
on the lower left
of the porticos. All scenes of the Façade take place during the
final week of
Jesus's life. This and the other sculptures on the Façade were
begun
in1988 by the
artist Josep Maria Subirachs. This sculpture depicts the coming
betrayal of
Judas. John 13.27, the passage quoted below the sculpture, reads:
"After he
(Judas) received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus
said to him,
"Do quickly what you are going to do."
11.
The Towers of the Façade of the Passion. When the church is
completed, there
will be
twelve towers, each representing one of the twelve apostles. Each tower
will be named
after one of the Apostles: Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John,
Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the
Zealot),
Judas (the son of James), and Judas Iscariot. Mathias was chosen to
to replace
Judas Iscariot.
12-13.
The Crucifixion. This appears at the pinnacle of Façade of the
Passion. The
sculpture by
Subirachs is highly controversial due to the display of the genitals of
Jesus.
Below the Crucifixion is Simon the Cyrene carrying the cross. In front of
him are soldiers in
what looks like "Star Wars" uniforms. The helmets are
actually
modeled on the chimneys in La Pedrera. To the left is a figure modeled on
Gaudí.
The figure facing the guards in the center has the head of Jesus wears
a cape with
the head of Jesus on the cape. This figure is most likely Jesus.
14.
Longinus, the soldier who wounded Jesus in the side, and his companions
playing dice for
Jesus's robes.
15.
Below the Carrying of the Cross by Jesus (no. 12, 13) is the figure of Jesus
tied
tied to a pillar to
be scourged. The figures kissing to the left represent the Kiss
of Judas.
