Do we really like the Sagrada Familia?

BarcelonaMore than 140 years after the laying of the first stone, even today, what is considered Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece continues to take shape. In the final years of his prolific career, he poured all his efforts into building a temple that has today become Barcelona's main tourist attraction. Thousands of people visit it every year, and there seems to be a widespread consensus on its architectural and cultural value. However, the building has not been without controversy, starting with the fact that some question whether what we see today is what Gaudí would have done.

The Sagrada Família amazes, seduces, fascinates, but also generates controversy, mainly due to the actions taken after Antoni Gaudí's death. Is it truly his best work? Would it have been better to stop its construction when he died and preserve his legacy intact? Has his design really been respected? We discuss all of this with architects, designers, artists, and other personalities from the world of culture.

"The Sagrada Família stands out for being a technical marvel and for its beauty, with a very well-resolved symbolism. I don't know if Gaudí could have imagined the magnitude his work has had, but now that it is almost finished, I recognize that it is an admirable work. Although when I was young I was a bit skeptical about whether its construction should continue, the opportunity I had to enter the workshop and delve deeper into the work they were doing to continue his work allowed me to see that there were many clear things and that it was worth working on. However, the dazzling moment for me was when computing entered Gaudí's studies. New technologies have allowed his geometry to be fully developed, and I think that, in a way, he already foresaw that this would happen, that after him would come new architects and new eras who would make changes or bring innovations. It is true that in what has been done there may have been room for some error in interpretation, but they were not going in blind. They have always wanted to be faithful to the master. As he wanted, it is a landmark building for the city".

"I love the Sagrada Família. I find it spectacular and not only that, but I find it very daring for the step forward it represented in that time and in that society. Gaudí broke many schemes about what was considered architecturally correct back then. Deep down, it is a compilation of many dreams and fantasies he had, where essential themes such as nature, fauna, and humanity are united. I think it would have been a crime if its construction had not been continued and that all those who have collaborated for it to move forward have done so with respect and understanding its essence. Precisely, for me, the value that the Sagrada Família transmits to me is just this one of never giving up, of continuing to work. Furthermore, I find it impossible to imagine the silhouette of Barcelona without the Sagrada Família. Many buildings in the city could be demolished, but never this Sagrada Família that points to the sky".

"I really like the Sagrada Família. I'm amazed by it. And I particularly like the part that Gaudí did. I find he has absolutely overflowing creativity, but not just from the point of view of visually surprising you, but for its deeper content. It has many layers and is very interesting, although I think it should have been left as it was when Gaudí died, because it was a very personal work made to his measure. I understand the argument that cathedrals were continued by subsequent generations, but cathedrals didn't have a Gaudí, who was introducing changes when he thought it opportune. However, that said, since it has been continued, I think it's fine that it's finished as long as they clearly explain to the visitor what Gaudí did and what has been done since. And that they urgently remove all a series of low-quality artisan additions that we find in various places. Now, I must admit that the result we see today is impressive".

"To me, the Sagrada Família fascinates and moves me. I conceive it not only as the work of a genius, which it is, but above all as the dialogue between a 19th-century genius and the technology of the 20th and 21st centuries. It's a bit like medieval cathedrals, which transcend time and each builder leaves their mark. He already knew that his time perhaps did not yet give him all the solutions he needed to make his imagination a reality, and that is why I absolutely agree with the fact that its construction has continued. I think leaving it frozen would have been a mistake and that it has been done well to continue it with respect, debate, and knowledge in order to preserve it. For my research and the writing of the novel El somni de Gaudí, I have had to focus on these 144 years of construction and I have come to the conclusion that its great value is everything that has happened in this time, its function as the city's memory".

"I like everything about the Sagrada Família, especially what it represents and the luminosity that dominates the interior. In fact, in general I am a lover of Gaudí's work, which is full of history and details. And the truth is that, when they explain it to you, you enjoy and value it even more. Furthermore, we are lucky to have a shop in the old Casa Figueras on La Rambla, which, although not Gaudí's work, was made thanks to his artisans, due to the relationship Gaudí had with Mr. Figueras. Regarding the value of the Sagrada Família, I think it is a combination of several things, as well as being an emblem of the city. Wherever you arrive in Barcelona, you see it, and even more so now, with the new tower, which is spectacular. I think it's good that they have decided to continue with its construction, because the majesty of this temple is brutal. And I believe that Gaudí's idea has been respected, even though it is an unknown what he would think of it".

"Although I admit that Gaudí's work that I like the most and feel closest to is La Pedrera, I particularly like the Sagrada Família on a conceptual level, because it is like the architect's great work, a concept that is reaffirmed by the fact that it is still being finished. I find its magnitude lies here; that although its creator died many years ago, the work is still being continued today. I think this is a success for the artist and for the city, because continuing to bet on projects that were started so many years ago shows that not everything is as ephemeral and immediate as it seems today, and that some things take time. I like that they have continued building it, because it is a symbol of the city, a very different cathedral with its own very recognizable language".

"In the late 90s, I publicly sided with many other people from the intellectual world, against the continuation of the construction, because I understood that Gaudí had to be defended from a heritage point of view and, therefore, a piece of rubble was better than a real or imagined continuation based on post-Gaudinian studies. Without forgetting that we do not know for sure if he would have wanted it to continue. In any case, I think we cannot talk about Gaudí's Sagrada Familia, because what we have today is a conglomerate based on a fragment of Gaudí. Of what has been done, there are things that seem interesting to me, but I dislike that it is the great emblem of mass culture".