The Largest Unfinished Catholic Church in the World

 Sagrada Familia was one of the Barcelona landmarks on OFD's must see list. It wasn't until I started doing some research for the blog and eventually my photo book, that I understand the significance of this magnificent and unique structure.

It was started in 1882 by a Barcelona bookseller with a dream after visiting the Vatican in Rome.

It has a completion date of 2026. Here is a timeline of the Sagrada Familia. Construction has been interrupted twice: once during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and again in 2020 due to Covid.

When it is completed it will have 18 spires. (12 for the Apostles, 4 for the Evangelists, 1 for Virgin Mary and one for Jesus Christ) The Saint Mark spire is on the left, a winged lion. The Jesus Christ spire at 570' will be the tallest church spire in the world, when completed in 2026. (The base for the Jesus Christ spire is in the background of the photo.)

The Virgin Mary's spire is one the left, completed in December 2021. It is a 12 pointed lighted crystal star on a base. The upper and lower part of the shaft base are covered with artistic ceramic stoneware trencadís mosaic in colors ranging from blue to white with a few scattered pieces of golden Venetian mosaic. The other spires are those representing the 12 disciples/apostles.

The Saint Matthew Spire is on the right, a winged man. Plans call for tubular bells to be placed within the spires, driven by the force of the wind, and driving sound down into the interior of the church. ~ Wikipedia At this time, only one bell is in place.

The lower spires are surmounted by communion hosts with sheaves of wheat and chalices with bunches of grapes, representing the Eucharist. ~ Wikipedia

One of the three entrances, two of which are completed. This is the Passion Facade, across the street from a park. The Passion Façade is supported by six large and inclined columns, designed to resemble strained muscles. It is austere, plain and simple, with ample bare stone, and is carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton. ~ Wikipedia.

another angle of the Passion Facade and its supporting columns

one of the details of the Passion Facade

another carving at the pinnacle of the Passion Facade 

placed in 2018

We entered through the much more ornate and detailed Navitiy Facade. It is dedicated to the birth of Jesus.  This facade was started in 1893 and completed in 1936. Antoni Gaudi was the Catalan architect and designer of the Sagrada Familia.

So if the outside of the minor Basilica is a magnificent work of art and architecture, the inside was even more amazing.

I believe this is the inside view over the Passion Facade, as it is the first photo I took upon entering and the Passion Facade was opposite the Nativity Facade, where we entered. (Not all the stained glass windows were painted or completed. The inside of the oval window at the top is an example of incompleteness.)

The colors of the stained glass reflected everywhere, pillars, columns, floors and walls, giving it the name Temple of Light.

Gaudi designed the columns to branch at the top to help support their load. Each tree column is different. There are no flat surfaces in Gaudi's design, which is based on complex geometric patterns.

There is some controversy over the third and final entrance, the Glory Facade to the Basilica. It has been started but as yet, is not complete or open to the public.

one of the staircases

another staircase

Private donations and ticket money from the 3 million visitors each year fund the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

I am standing in the central aisle of the nave looking to the front, the apse with the altar. The apse is the highest point of the interior at 246'.

ceiling of the nave reaches 148'

in the apse, above the altar

A cathedral is the seat of a bishop and a center of Christian worship. A basilica is a church that is designated by the Vatican for its historical, spiritual, or architectural significance. 

Interesting to note, originally the stone for the Sagrada Familia came from the Monserrat mountain, but as the quality of the stone became more fragile the deeper it was dug. Since 2018 the stone needed to finish the Basilica now comes from a quarry in England. 

We were looking at a mass service in the crypt, below the apse.

colors reflecting on the ceiling of the nave

blues and greens from the windows on the other side of the nave

The doors to the Basilica: top right and middle left were on the Nativity Facade. The four detailed bugs were part of those doors detailed design. The door on the upper left was on the side of the Nativity Facade. The door on the middle right is from the Passion Facade. The Passion façade reproduce excerpts of the Passion of Jesus from the New Testament in various languages, mainly Catalan. ~ Wikipedia

We saw very few beggars or homeless people in Barcelona or other areas we traveled in Spain. This person was lying on the sidewalk near the Basilica. We saw more homeless and many beggars in Sardinia and other Italian places we visited.

Montserrat, Spain and the Black Madonna

 On one of our 4 days in Barcelona we took the train for an hour ride to the mountain town of Monserrat in the Monserrat Mountains. From there we rode the Cremallera Rack Railway to the Monserrat Monastery to view the Black Madonna.

the little Rack Railway station

the Rack Railway train

our destination is under the red arrow

Montserrat Monastery

Santa Maria de Montserrat is an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict. It was founded in 1025 and rebuilt between the 19th and 20th centuries. 

climbing the steps to the next level

the Abbey of Montserrat

The Basilica is through the arches. We had tickets for a specific tour time, so we did not do any exploring. We entered the Basilica and the queue as it passed by 4 altars, numerous works of art, statues and even a stained glass window.

There are about 80 monks is residence at the Monastery.

There is also a hostel for visitors on pilgrimage and a couple of hotels. (Weekend prices for a room listed at $400) There were little shops and a post office.

The Escolania, Montserrat's Boys’ Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica. 

There is a museum on the grounds with art by many prominent painters. There is also a publishing house with one of the oldest presses in the world still running, with its first book published in 1499.

the portal of alabaster to access the room of the Virgin

one of two entrances to the Crypt

In 1811 and in 1812, during Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the abbey was twice burned down and sacked by Napoleon's troops, and many of its treasures were lost. In 1835, the abbey was closed until restoration in 1844. ~ Wikipedia

Our first glimpse of the Black Madonna. We passed through silver doors, up several steps into a small niche which was actually behind the altar of the Basilica. 

In 2001, renovators working for the government observed that the black hands and face of La Moreneta had over the centuries undergone a change in color. They attribute the change—from a lighter tone to black—either to prolonged exposure to candle smoke or a chemical reaction caused by a varnish used as a paint sealant. The statue was repainted black by successive generations of restorers. A series of tests, including X-rays, revealed the statue's original color and also showed that the last repainting took place at the turn of the 19th century. ~ Wikipedia

The Black Madonna statue, carved in the 12th century, is also known as 'The Dark One' or Our Lady of Montserrat. The wood statue is encased behind a glass case since ????. In 1947 through donated funds, she was placed on a silver throne. She holds an orb in her right hand, half of which is on the outside of the glass case and can be touched. Her left had is near the shoulder of her son who sits on her lap. Jesus holds a pinecone in his left hand, the symbol of fertility and everlasting life. His right hand is raised in a blessing. Both Mother and Child are wearing crowns.

After leaving the Black Madonna, we passed a security person and went down several steps and turned right and entered the Crypt. It is a barrel vaulted room opened in 1951.

The Crypt holds the tombs of monks of Montserrat who were murdered in the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.

We left the Crypt walking through the Path of Hail Mary

where candles could be purchased and lit

the Basilica Sanctuary

The Black Madonna is the lighted arch in the center of the photo

Initial construction of the basilica of Montserrat began in the 16th century, and its complete reconstruction began in the year 1811, after being destroyed in the Peninsular War. It is a single nave, 68 meters by 21 meters.

above the door entrance to the Basilica

atrium to the Basilica

According to the legend, in the 9th century, the image of the Virgin was found in a cave on the mountain by shepherds. The cave can also be visited while at the monastery.

Montserrat's highest point, Sant Jeroni, can be reached by footpaths leading from the monastery.

Aeri, the cable car, goes to the top of the mountain.

One of the hotels behind the Rack Railway station and across the street from shops we did not have time to explore.

the town of Montserrat down below

These photos are of our 4 course meal. Appetizers (tapas) included l-r Blood sausage ball, caviar and an herbed bread item. Followed by l-r a Ham croquette, a cold poached egg and liver paté. For our entree (maybe 7 choices) we all chose cod on a tomato base with a sauce (not tartar). Lemon sorbet for dessert. Let’s just say it was a culinary experience at 40 Euro per person. We tasted everything but only finished the cod and the sorbet. (Later we learned there were other eating options closer to the Rack Railway station.) Hot dog (pepperoni) pizza was on the menu before getting back to the hotel in Barcelona. It was very good!