Back in 2011 I went on a weekend trip to Barcelona with family and friends. It was the first time after getting my first SLR camera that I had a camera with me on a trip and I was still largely getting to grips with photography, a time when composition was still a strange word that I had little understanding of.
I made a point of it that we should all go to the Sagrada Familia as one of Barcelona's most iconic landmarks, it wasn't difficult to persuade anyone. So what is it? A very unique Cathedral that was designed by the famous architecht/designer Gaudi. You can see his work all over Barcelona as it is truly unique. The Cathedral is designed in the style he is most famous for.
I didn't realise it until we went through the mini-museum in the Cathedral, but his design inspiration comes directly from the shapes you find in nature. When you look at the pillars inside, you realise they do indeed look like the stems of plants. He used the shapes of leaves and shells.
It makes sense in an unconventional way when you think about it, since some of the strongest, most resilient structures occur naturally in nature. The thing that really struck me though about this place is the abundance of light and colour. Its a vast open space and the light shines through windows in various places that brings a lot of colour into the Cathedral and reflects off all the walls, very unlike most Cathedrals in Europe that tend to be a bit darker, sedate and grey.
But like in any true cathedral fashion, its taking a very long time to build and finish this place. Construction has been ongoing for the last 135 years.. its started in 1882 and is expected to be completed in 2026 - 28. On the subject of the length of construction time Gaudi had been quoted as saying "My client is not in a hurry" - referring of course to God. When Gaudi died in 1926 the Cathedral was 15 and 25 percent complete.
Personally, I would love to return for more photos, especially now that I have years more experience with photography. But I will wait until the current political upheaval dies down a bit.
!steemitworldmap 41.4036339 lat 2.1721618 long Barcelona: The Sagrada Familia D3SCR
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