Whether you are a believer or not, it is worth remembering that Gaudi was very religious, absolutely convinced that the beauty of nature needed to have had God as its maker. The inner space, height and novelty of the Sagrada Familia are impressive, but for me the really special element is how he used his architecture to convey nature's beauty as God's work. Each pillar looks like a tree. It is a stone forest as much as a basilica.
In all the years that I have been thinking about the whole belief thing, I have found Kant's third critique comes sorta kinda close to what I feel- he describes the sublime as a feeling that arises when we are aware of a priori knowledge: universal validity, independent of experience. to me that is my faith, my religion and yes the sheer immensity of the Sagrada Familia has pretty much the same impact on me, as does the badshahi masjid in lahore, the Kamakshi temple in Kanchi, the view of Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, the smell of mogra, the taste of kopi luwak the millions of gradations of blue in alpine lakes...it is a good world this.
Lovely piece. The pillars and rich decoration of the Sagrada Familia remind me of a Hindu temple. I think that’s why I like it (and why it divides opinion).
Unfortunately one sees so much of the profane though there is a lot that is sacred if only we took the trouble to look at it.
Whether you are a believer or not, it is worth remembering that Gaudi was very religious, absolutely convinced that the beauty of nature needed to have had God as its maker. The inner space, height and novelty of the Sagrada Familia are impressive, but for me the really special element is how he used his architecture to convey nature's beauty as God's work. Each pillar looks like a tree. It is a stone forest as much as a basilica.
Reminded of Keats - A thing of Beauty is Joy for ever.
In all the years that I have been thinking about the whole belief thing, I have found Kant's third critique comes sorta kinda close to what I feel- he describes the sublime as a feeling that arises when we are aware of a priori knowledge: universal validity, independent of experience. to me that is my faith, my religion and yes the sheer immensity of the Sagrada Familia has pretty much the same impact on me, as does the badshahi masjid in lahore, the Kamakshi temple in Kanchi, the view of Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, the smell of mogra, the taste of kopi luwak the millions of gradations of blue in alpine lakes...it is a good world this.
Lovely piece. The pillars and rich decoration of the Sagrada Familia remind me of a Hindu temple. I think that’s why I like it (and why it divides opinion).