Looking towards the heavens - photo by dbaron
There is a tendency to get stuck in the past when discussing Western religious architecture. While I was blown away by Santa Maria Novella in Florence and enjoyed getting up-close to the gargoyles of Notre Dame, the desire to build impressive religious structures did not die when the 20th century rolled on in. I’m not trying to minimize the significance of these centuries-old structures – they are incredibly important! But as new styles and architectural theories emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries, the appearance of the modern church changed to reflect the ever evolving society it was a part of.
I’m not religious. Thus, I approach a church with the same I that I use when analyzing a piece of art. I look at the forms and the materials, consider who the architect was and the time it was built. These are what make a building important.
Gaudí's la Sagrada Família - photo by ecreyes
Antoni Gaudí’s la Sagrada Família is probably the best known example of modern religious architecture. Gaudí was a Modernisme architect whose buildings (and park!) are sprinkled throughout Barcelona – I doubt that anyone could visit the Catalonian city without hearing about Gaudí. Modernisme was one of many regional modern art and architecture movements flourishing in Europe at the end of the 19th cenuty – the French had Art Nouveau; in Germany it was Jugendstil; Stile Liberty in Italy; Vienna had the Secessionists; and Britain was dominated by the Arts and Crafts Movement. A common theme throughout all of these movements is the dominance of curvilinear, organic forms and detailed decorative elements.
An exterior detail of la Sagrada Família - photo by No Onions Extra Pickles
La Sagrada Família is a modern take on the Gothic cathedral. It’s basically Modernisme meets Neo-Gothic. The Gothic style was all about light and height. The souring, vertical structure of Gothic cathedrals combined with the stained glass added a delicacy to churches that had not existed before. They were awe-inspiring structures at the time (and still are!). These ideas are embodied in the design of la Sagrada Família but Gaudí’s building is obviously not in the Gothic style.
The interior of la Sagrada Família - photo by -Eric
The Gothic interior of the Chartres Cathedral - photo by stephen_dedalus
Looking at this comparison between the interiors of la Sagrada Família and Frances’s Chartres Cathedral – which is considered one of the finest example of High Gothic architecture – the similarities and differences really pop out. In them we see the same fantastical use of light coming from the heavens above. But look at the forms! In Chartres we see straight, rigid, vertical columns and lines. It is a very organized design. La Sagrada Família is a striking contrasts. Gaudí’s columns become trees – stretching and splitting to hold up the roof. Going back to my very first photo, you can see that the ceiling is alive with movement too. Full of organic, geometric forms, the building truly comes alive. These free flowing forms is was made Modernisme popular! It was an appreciated change from the rigidness found in the Neo-Classical style the was popular in the 19th century.
Building la Sagrada Família - photo by No Onions Extra Pickles
What is fantastic about la Sagrada Família is that it is open to visitors while it’s under construction. Gothic cathedrals were quite the on-taking! They took years and years and YEARS to complete. If la Sagrada Família is finished in 2026 – the centennial year of Gaudí’s death – it will of taken 144 years to finish. The current architect overseeing the completion of the project had readily admitted that he will not be able to see it to the end, as he’s already in his eighties. This changing of architects and generations was very much the life of the Gothic cathedral and I think it’s fabulous to be able to experience this type of timeframe in our lifetimes.
This post is a part of the über amazing ArtSmart Roundtable!
This month’s topic: Religious Architecture!
On the last Monday of each month, other arts-oriented travel bloggers and myself will all post articles on the same topic. Considering our very different backgrounds and interests, each of this post will uniquely reflect our individual tastes as art-lovers. Visit the links below to get your monthly dose of art history!
- Erin of A Sense of Place: Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel
- Jeff of Eurotravelogue: Florence Baptistery – Through the “Gates of Paradise”
- Jenna of This is My Happiness: Prambanan Hindu Temples
- Kelly of Travellious: San Pietro of Spoleto
< photo credits: dbaron – ecreyes – -Eric – stephen_dedalus >
21 comments
1 ping
Melvin says:
September 27, 2011 at 1:50 am (UTC -7)
Have you realized that you have photographed ghosts? Check the interior picture! Hahaha
Stephen Dedalus says:
September 28, 2011 at 4:52 am (UTC -7)
The ‘ghosting’ effect is deliberate. This shot was a long exposure with a narrow aperture, just to get the combination of natural light and a large depth of field.
With respect to lighting, the interior of Chartres is surprisingly dark, which better emphasises the stained glass windows that are the most striking aspect of the building. This contrasts with Burgos, which is a little later, and Salisbury, both in the Gothic style, where there is *far* more natural light, emphasised by a paler stone interior.
Jenna says:
September 27, 2011 at 12:44 pm (UTC -7)
I loved this post! I have to confess that when I went to Barcelona, I didn’t go inside La Sagrada Familia. Oh, I wish I had! I love Gaudi’s work, so this is definitely on my list for my next trip to Spain.
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:32 am (UTC -7)
We didn’t visit all of the Gaudi buildings either! After this, Casa Batllo and Parc Guell, we decided to save Casa Mila for whenever our next visit may be. There is such a thing as too much Gaudi in one day
Lux says:
September 27, 2011 at 11:33 pm (UTC -7)
No visit to Barcelona is complete without a tour of La Sagrada Familia. It is fascinating to view the people who are building the cathedral and the artists at work in the gypsum workshop.
Did you manage to visit the towers as the views are spectacular?
Lux recently posted..Friday Cocktail: Virgin Atlantic Redhead
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:16 am (UTC -7)
I heard the towers were wonderful, but I didn’t make it to the top! I have a pretty awful fear of heights, so chances are as soon as I got to the top, I would march right back down to the bottom…haha.
Jan Ross says:
September 28, 2011 at 6:08 am (UTC -7)
We have seen plenty of beautiful, old churches in Europe and Canada but I will be really interested to visit this one in Barcelona when we are there next fall. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:17 am (UTC -7)
Thank Jan – glad you liked it
Laura says:
September 28, 2011 at 6:21 am (UTC -7)
Sagrada Familia is an impressive piece of architecture. I visited it’s interior about 6 years ago when is was still wrapped up in scaffolding and couldn’t see much of the architecture, just glimpses. This year I visited Barcelona again but didn’t want to pay the super expensive ticket again. Not for even more scaffolding! However, I understand that in the meantime part of the interior’s scaffolding is gone and probably I will visit it next time I go to Barcelona. I loved the pics!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:29 am (UTC -7)
We were there about 2 years ago, and there was still a fair amount of scaffolding around – so I can see how you wouldn’t want to pay to see all of that again!
Stephanie - The Travel Chica says:
September 28, 2011 at 9:20 am (UTC -7)
La Sagrada Familia will always stand out as one of those awe-inspiring travel memories. Great photos!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:22 am (UTC -7)
Thanks! I can only take credit for the last picture…the rest are curtesy of the wonderful people who upload their photos Flickr
Jeff Titelius says:
September 28, 2011 at 4:45 pm (UTC -7)
Fantastic overview of one cathedral I have yet to visit. And I love the way you contrasted it with Chartres, one of my faces. Nicely done.
Jenna says:
October 1, 2011 at 9:08 am (UTC -7)
I agree, nice idea to contrast it with Chartres, the classic Gothic cathedral!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:27 am (UTC -7)
Thanks you two. Glad that the comparison to Chartres was a good one. Haven’t been to too many Gothic buildings myself, so I was a little stumped as to which one to compare La Sagrada Familia to.
ehalvey says:
September 30, 2011 at 1:18 pm (UTC -7)
LOVED La Sagrada Familia! His uber-curvilinear forms remind me of Gehry, but I love that he took Gothic and added an organic vitality that brought it to a whole new level.
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:26 am (UTC -7)
Oooh, never thought of comparing him to Gehry – like it!
jenjenk says:
September 30, 2011 at 6:23 pm (UTC -7)
what great shots of sagrada!! i wish I had captured half the shots you did!!!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:25 am (UTC -7)
Thanks Jen! Can only really take credit for the last one, and am forever in debt to all the folks who put their photos up on Flickr for creative commons use
Annie - FootTracker says:
October 2, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC -7)
Barcelona! I love that odd, yet intriguing architecture there. They are definitely thinking outside of the box!
Ashley @ No Onions Extra Pickles says:
October 4, 2011 at 10:24 am (UTC -7)
Agree – the architecture throughout the city is fantastic.
A Sense of Place » ArtSmart Roundtable: Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel says:
September 26, 2011 at 8:58 am (UTC -7)
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