A truly unique city is Barcelona. Landmarks, photographs of which adorn the pages of travel magazines, beckon to visit the land of Catalonia. And any person who finds himself by the will of fate in this place has an irresistible desire to learn as much as possible about its history. And she, it should be noted, the richest! Founded under the Romans, Barcelona (Spain, Catalonia) still keeps traces of all eras of its development.
Religious buildings
Many centuries of existence of the Christian culture have left an indelible imprint on the appearance of the city. Barcelona has a variety of attractions, but of greatest interest to tourists are ancient churches and temples located in various parts of the city. In the Gothic quarter, there is the most significant, in terms of religious life, temple in Barcelona - the Cathedral, whose hallmark is a flock of geese grazing near the entrance, symbolizing the purity of Saint Eulalia, the patroness of the temple. The unique interior attracts attentiontourists the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, built during the heyday of navigation. From anywhere in the city, another cult church is visible - the temple of the Sacred Heart erected on the top of Mount Tibidabo. Barcelona, thanks to these buildings, annually attracts thousands of connoisseurs of architecture, but the largest number of tourists from all over the world come here to see the main treasure of the city - the Sagrada Familia, the construction of which began at the end of the 19th century and continues to this day. Millions of people have been visiting Barcelona over the years to admire Antoni Gaudí's unrivaled style.
Sagrada Familia
The Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia, or Sagrada Familia, which is also sometimes mistakenly called a cathedral, although in fact it is a church, is a cultural attraction not only in Spain, but throughout the world. The recognizable silhouette of the building causes no less admiration among tourists than the pyramid of Cheops. This work of art is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, despite the fact that the construction of the building has not yet been completed. Every year, Spain (Catalonia, Barcelona) receives more than three million people who want to admire the temple with their own eyes. The majestic Sagrada Familia against the backdrop of the city really looks impressive. We will tell about the history of its construction below.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia
The idea of creating a church arose in 1874 quite unexpectedly, as a result of donations of a large amount of money. Already in 1881, land was purchased for construction ina few kilometers from Barcelona. Yes, initially the temple was built outside the city, later Barcelona grew so much that the Sagrada Familia is now located in the most populated urban area. In March 1882, under the guidance of the architect F. del Villar, they began to lay the foundation of the building. Nevertheless, despite the large number of ideas and the availability of funds for construction, at the end of 1882 the architect refused to participate in the construction, due to the lack of agreement between him and the customer. Perhaps now Barcelona would not have such a sight of magnitude if, after the removal from work on the del Villar project, architect Antonio Gaudi, full of enthusiasm and strength, had not joined the cause. According to his idea, the temple was supposed to turn out to be very openwork, outwardly resembling a cobweb, in the Art Nouveau style. It was assumed that the structure would be strewn with many towers rushing up, and the rest of the interior and exterior decorations would reflect individual elements of the Gospel, namely the birth, crucifixion, resurrection of Christ, or other rites of the Catholic Church. According to the project of Gaudi, the temple was supposed to look like a sand castle, similar to those that children love to build while sitting on the shore of a reservoir. It was conceived that the central spire of the church in the form of a cross would have a height of 170 meters, which is one meter lower than the height of Montjuic (the mountains in the city of Barcelona) - the temple was not supposed to exceed the perfect creation of God.
Gaudi's grand vision
The history of Barcelona was made in parallel with the construction of the SagradaSurname, because only the facade of the building was erected for more than forty years. During this time, the city has grown, confidently joined the industrial era and began to develop rapidly. Antonio Gaudi paid close attention to the decor of each tower. He worked painstakingly and sparing himself on the realization of his ideas, and many did not understand why the architect spends so much money, time and effort on construction, because the tops of the towers were not even visible from the ground. Gaudi replied: "If people do not see, then angels will see."
Barcelona grew. The temple grew with her. It was planned to build three facades: the Passion, the Nativity and the Glory of Christ. The architect knew that such a short period of time as a human life would not be enough to make a grandiose idea a reality. He had to decide which of the three architectural elements to build first. And he made a choice in favor of the facade of the Nativity, because some scenes of the crucifixion of Christ could scare the inhabitants, and their opinion was extremely important, because the construction was carried out only on donations. During 1909-1910. a parochial school was built at the temple, again according to the idea of Gaudi. Initially, it was erected as a temporary building, so there were no load-bearing walls in it, and internal partitions were easily removed, due to which it was possible to easily change the layout of the space. To this day, unfortunately, the exact image of the school has not been preserved.
Death of an architect
November 30, 1925, the construction of the Nativity facade was completed, Gaudí was about to startconstruction of the rest of the building. Over the years of the architect's work, Barcelona acquired a unique attraction - the temple was decorated with church Catholic sculptures and symbols, texts from liturgies and the Gospel. Everything was turned upside down by the ill-fated day of June 7, 1926. 73-year-old Antonio Gaudí was hit by a tram while he was walking to church for a service. The architect was dressed very poorly, they took him for a tramp and did not even bother to take him to the hospital. June 10, 1926, a little short of his 74th birthday, Gaudí died. Barcelona has lost a great man! The sights created by his hands today tend to be visited by millions of people, without them it is simply impossible to imagine the city. And this is not only the Sagrada Familia, although, of course, it is the main creation of the architect. Here he was buried - Gaudi was buried in the still unfinished building of the Sagrada Familia.
Continuing Antonio's work
The construction of the church did not stop after the death of the master, it was continued by a talented student of the architect - Domenech Sugranes, who worked with Gaudi since 1902. Already by 1930, the other two facades were erected, they, like the first one, were decorated with murals, texts of the Holy Scriptures and sculptures. However, hard times followed. The lack of financial donations, the impending world and civil wars led to the fact that the construction of the temple was practically stopped, until 1952. Then the construction of the building was resumed, but, despite the fact that for several decades now work has been ongoing, until the final completion of the planAntonio Gaudi is still very far away. It is necessary to complete four 120-meter towers dedicated to the evangelists Mark, John, Matthew and Luke. On the 170-meter tower of Christ, according to the architect's idea, a cross should be installed, and on the other four - bunches of grapes, as a symbol of Communion. If no unforeseen circumstances arise, and the construction will be carried out according to plan, by 2026 the greatest building that began its existence in the century before last will finally be completed. Not only Barcelona is waiting for the end of the grandiose construction. The temple is being built by people from all over the world, donations are made by both Christians and representatives of other faiths. So, recently there has been a significant influx of funds from Japan.
Church of the Sacred Heart
Truly unique has Barcelona attractions. World-famous photographers come here to capture this ancient and modern city with outstanding architecture at the same time. However, it will not be possible to get a complete picture of the capital of Catalonia if you do not climb Mount Tibidabo and enjoy the stunning views of the city from the observation deck. It is here that the Temple of the Sacred Heart was built, and above it rises the figure of Christ, embracing the whole world with his arms.
History and decoration of the church
In translation from Latin, the name of Mount Tibidabo sounds like "I give you". According to the legend, it was from the top of this mountain that the devil tempted Jesus Christ, showing all earthly beauties. The redemptive temple of the Heart of Christ is located onat the very top of Tibidabo, so it is visible from every corner of Barcelona. The church was designed and started to be built in 1902 by the architect Enric Sagnier. The construction of the temple in 1961 was completed by his son, Josep.
Temple of the Sacred Heart is decorated in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The decoration contains all the attributes of these architectural trends - both triangular elongated porticos of the facade, and roses over the entrances, and peculiar windows and arches. The lower crypt consists of five naves with ellipsoidal apses, they also serve as a platform for the upper room, where two solid staircases lead. A real decoration of the interior of the church is a multi-colored mosaic - a kind of tribute to the traditions of the art of the Byzantine period. In the icons of the temple, storylines from the latest history of Spain are traced, on which all people are represented in modern clothes. Gothic elements - narrow windows, turrets pointing to the sky, pointed arches, carved fine details of decoration - give the church weightlessness and grace, but at the same time sculptural compositions create a mood of majestic solemnity. The facade of the building is decorated with the creations of the hands of the Catalan master Eusebi Arnau - statues of Saints James and George, as well as the Mother of God, and the upper part of the temple is represented by compositions of another skilled sculptor, Josep Miret. The central spire of the church is crowned with a golden statue of Christ, similar to the world-famous monument of the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. At the base of the sculpture is the highest observation deck in Barcelona, which offers a breathtaking view of the endless Mediterranean Sea and washedits gentle waves the capital of Catalonia.
Catedral de Barcelona
The map of the city's attractions necessarily includes the Barcelona Cathedral, the second name of which is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. Pilgrims from all over the world send their feet to this majestic temple, because it is in it that the relics of the holy martyr Eulalia of Barcelona rest, who died at the age of 13 in 304 from the Nativity of Christ. In the 4th century, when Eulalia lived, paganism reigned in the land of Catalonia, but the girl honored faith in Jesus, for which she was burned. A dove flew out of the mouth of the martyr before her death, and at the same time snow fell on the executioners. Several centuries passed, and Eulalia was ranked among the saints and christened the patroness of Barcelona, in her honor the main cathedral of the city was erected in the center of the Gothic quarter.
Catedral de Barcelona (photo below) is filled with many relics of historical and religious values. Its territory began to take its present form in 1268, when the chapel was built. Since the first half of the 15th century it has been an undeniable adornment of the city. The construction of the temple lasted 122 years, the building was erected directly on the ruins of the Roman basilica. Separate elements, for example, a spire, were made much later. Today, tourists arriving in Barcelona can appreciate the grandeur of the building and the meticulousness of every detail. White geese roam the courtyard adjacent to the cathedral - this is a symbol of the purity of Eulalia. Inside the building are kept Christianshrines: the remains of the Saint, resting in a sarcophagus, and the image of Jesus from the ship that participated in the battle of Lepanto. Barcelona Cathedral is a monument of art and history of national importance. Saint Eulalia is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox, so the temple is remarkable for representatives of both faiths. In addition, the Catedral de Barcelona serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Barcelona.
Church of the Holy Virgin of the Sea
The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar is recognized as the second most important religious building after the Cathedral in the capital of Catalonia. It is located in the historic port area, the Ribera quarter, where sailors, merchants and nobles lived during the heyday of trade. In their honor, a church was erected above the labyrinth of narrow medieval streets. The foundation of the creation of the architect Berenguer de Montaguta was laid in 1329, and already in 1383 the construction was completed. Previously, when the sea had not yet receded so far due to natural sediments, the basilica stood at the very water's edge. On the tympanum of the portico, we can distinguish the so-called Deesis - the figure of Christ seated on the throne, on the sides of which Mary and John are kneeling. The fire that occurred in 1936 destroyed many sculptural compositions, and, apart from these figures, only the statues of Paul and Peter survived. Figured images with which the stones of the vault are decorated are very interesting. First of all, this is the statue of Mary (Madonna) above the main altar, at the feet of which there is a sculpture of a sailboat, which is an allegorical autograph of the architect of the basilica. to the right ofChurch on a small square built a memorial in the form of an amphitheater. A dedication to the Catalans who died during the battle with the army of Philip V in 1714 is carved on the walls.
Orthodox church in Barcelona
Since 2002, the Russian Orthodox Church has been operating in the capital of Catalonia. Initially, services were held in the chapel of Santa Maria Reina, and on certain days - in the monastery of Montserrat and Barcelona Cathedral. However, the premises allocated to the parish were not enough for the ever-growing number of parishioners, which raised the question of finding a separate building with office space where an iconostasis could be installed and church utensils could be stored. For these purposes, the abandoned church of St. George, built in the neo-romantic style in the middle of the twentieth century, was leased to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2011. Now it is the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - an Orthodox church in Barcelona, where every believer can come, who, by the will of fate, ended up on the land of Catalonia.
