Gaudí’s Crypt

 “Monumental model of the Sagrada Familia“.

The main importance of the church of the Colonia Güell in so far as Gaudi goes is that this is where Gaudi brought together for the first time all of his architectural innovations. As Gaudi said, had the church been finished it would have been a “monumental model of the Sagrada Familia”

 In the church we can see Gaudi created the naves single space without using buttresses, flying buttresses or supporting walls. This was possible thanks to a combination of leaning pillars and catenary arches which also result in the hyperbolic paraboloid shape of the perimeter walls. This same integrative spirit is reflected on the inside as well as in the fusion of the building with the environment –the different levels of the naves are adapted to the hill’s slope and the materials and colors used similar to those of the surrounding vegetation-

All of these elements constitute a set of original solutions which answer to the desire for synthesis between structural planning, construction techniques, and architectural shapes. Notwithstanding, these also contribute to the purely aesthetic and symbolic values of the ornamental elements. The Church of the Colonia Güell includes numerous examples of Gaudí’s control of the applied arts regarding both practical and purely ornamental decoration.

The Crypt was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005.

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 Interior   /   Exterior