It was thanks to a street demonstration (no one could tell us why) that we had a view of two of the modernist masterpieces of Barcelona, unobstructed by trucks, buses or cars whizzing by.
We toured Gaudi’s La Pedrera, an apartment building whose current tenants must tolerate large crowds gathering out front and touring parts of the building and the roof, where functional components continue to get the Gaudi treatment.
From the roof, Gaudi’s most famous work, La Sagrada Familia, can be seen under construction (as always) in the distance.
‘The exterior of the cathedral has a few artistically restrained features.
But, not many. The exterior is exuberant beyond description and a reminder of how we got the English word “gaudy.”
The interior, on the other hand, is an intensely spiritual space, even though packed with hundreds of awestruck tourists craning their necks, transfixed by the magic.
The soaring verticality of the space fulfills Gaudi’s vision of the interior as being like a woods to invite prayer, introspection and the taking of the Eucharist. Both inside and out, every detail has a meaning, every architectural feature a liturgical or religious significance. The central tower represents Jesus, four towers surrounding it represent the gospels, when completed (projected for 2026, nearly 150 years after construction commenced) there will be 12 towers representing each of the apostles. You can’t help but feel that Gaudi has created a temple without equal in reflecting the magnificent nature of God. It is no still small voice. It is the heavens opening wide in their glory.
‘Barcelona’s temple of music is the Palao de la Musica. We took a short taxi ride there from our apartment for a performance of flamenco music and dance by a troupe from Malaga.
The Palau de la Musica was designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, another master of Catalan Modernisme.
As with most of the modernist architecture we saw, the ornamention on each surface (for instance, each pillar or column) is unique and designs are not repeated.
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Inside the hall, performers should be happy that the lights are turned down. Otherwise, patrons would be distracted by the dizzying array of what there is to see. Fortunately, the performance was quite good. The low wooden platform accentuated the percussion from the performers’ feet.
Back in 1401 the Barcelona’s Consell de Cent (“Council of One Hundred”) merged six hospitals into one to improve the free care provided to the city’s poor as the Hospital de la Santa Creu. By the turn of the 20th century, the facilities had become inadequate and a wealthy banker (Pau Gil) stepped up with a very large donation and a commission to Lluis Domenech i Montaner to design a new hospital to modern standards. His only demand was that the hospital be renamed to honor his patron saint, Saint Paul, so that it is now the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Of course, the architect did frequently include the donor’s initials as decoration. We didn’t mind.
The hospital is comprised of many individual buildings linked by tunnels. The buildings are absolutely beautiful.
They have also been restored in an ongoing project.
By the turn of the 21st century, it was clear that the hospital was again inadequate. It had been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, but it was time to move. In fact, the hospital continued to serve as a hospital until 2008 when a new hospital opened that had been built on a portion of the same large tract of land originally set aside.
So, now the hospital is a museum with spaces that can also be rented out for functions. It’s new on the tourist circuit, but well worth a visit, as is Barcelona for its architectural treasures alone.