The strangest cathedral I have ever seen

Alex and I went on an excursion to Barcelona last weekend and of course we went to Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral that Antoni Gaudí designed. The cathedral is completely unique, and for the most part not at all what you expect churches to look like. The cathedral is also famously known as the cathedral that is never finished. I am not sure when the construction of Sagrada Familia began, but Gaudí died in 1926, and it is still being worked on today.

One facade of the cathedral is a strange mix of modern and earthy. Large sculptures of figures and events surrounding Jesus's suffering and death cover the large entrance area. These sculptures bring in the modern element--the are composed of smooth simple lines and the figures turn out to be rather crystalline. The supports around the entrances look like tree roots, or something more maluable-like. Maybe like in the pizza commercials when they lift a piece from the pie and the cheese stretches all gooey and such--or maybe that is a really stupid comparison. haha see for yourself.

The inside is the kicker. That's when the size of place hits you. The pillars and buttresses were sculpted to look like tree trunks and branches. The ceiling is covered in repeated, concave spiked circles to imitate a canopy of leaves. There are glowing orbs, looking like spores, in the tree pillars. It gives the place an almost alien feel. It's like a forest, but on another planet. Gaudí modeled his architecture from nature, and even noted the plant-life on the land before the construction of the cathedral and incorporated these elements into the building.

The other outside of the cathedral is astonishingly ornate. There are figures from Christ's life tucked in little decorated alcoves and arches on arches on more niches on those arches. It's definitely the strangest cathedral I have ever seen. It is a refreshing deviation from the normal gothic style. See it if you can.