It’s All About The Light

Yesterday I officially fell in love with Antoni Gaudi. He was a genius. Up until now I’ve enjoyed his quirky, playful colourful style, but after seeing the interior of the Sagrada, my admiration reached new heights.

He understood light. Simple as that. He stripped out all the extraneous decoration from the inside, and put it on the exterior facades, leaving his cathedral clean, airy and light-filled. It is a wonderful, soaring, granite forest, where the reflected sunlight through the stained glass bathes the polished floors, walls and columns in vibrant colours – if you are there at the right time of day.

The only thing that comes close is Istanbul’s Sofia, but the contrast is immense. Centuries of history weigh strongly on you in the Sofia, and you are awestruck by the sheer sensation of time immemorial, which hangs in the air. The Sagrada is all about light, colour, space and form, and it is indescribably brilliant. Each is the equal of the other; they are just totally different.

We visited the Nativity Tower, via a lift which whisked us high above the ground. We stood on a tiny bridge between two towers, with superb birds-eye views. We could see some of the façade decorations up close, offering a unique perspective of the decades of detailed work (and the decades still to come). Climbing back down the dark, narrow, winding staircase with its 370 steps, we caught more glimpses of the exteriors. I was fine on the stairs until the lower section, where there was only a wall on my right, and no upright wall on my left to keep my vestibular happy. It was a relief to be back on the ground, where I had no problems at all, despite the visual intensity and the crowds.

If you only see the Sagrada from the outside, you have not seen Gaudi’s finest work. Do not miss a chance to go inside, and do not quibble at the entrance fee (which helps pay for the continuing work). You will never see anything like it. It is just wonderful.