What a joy, the tower of San Bernabé!

BarcelonaAntoni Gaudí dedicated himself exclusively to the Sagrada Família for the last twelve years of his life. By then, he had already established himself as a brilliant architect, and the Sagrada Família is, moreover, an exceptional building. However, Gaudí liked to know what ordinary people thought of his work. When he finished the tower of Saint Barnabas, Gaudí asked the clockmaker who wound the temple's clocks what he thought of it. When the man replied that it was "incredible," Gaudí was overjoyed and spent the entire day telling everyone that the man had said the tower was wonderful. This was explained by Jordi Faulí, the architect in charge and coordinator of the temple's construction, and Chiara Curti, an architect and Gaudí scholar, who led the commemoration this Sunday of the centenary of the inauguration of the Saint Barnabas tower, the only one Gaudí saw completed. “What Gaudí did was teach us a method, that is, to build in complete parts, to awaken people’s capacity for wonder,” Curti explains. “In the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí began with the small chapel in the crypt and then finished the crypt. He continued with the apse, and when that was finished, he built another one.” The tower of Sant Bernabé is the easternmost, and it is no coincidence that it was the first one he finished. “Saint Barnabas is the last of the apostles. In fact, he didn’t even know Jesus, and, in a way, he is the most like us, because we too believe without having known. This gesture meant highlighting the contemporaneity of this apostle.”

The conversation between Jordi Faulí and Chiara Curti was one of the highlights of the celebration, which also included a peal of bells reminiscent of 1925 and a performance by the Amics de la Unió de Granollers children's choir. Additionally, Jaume Solé, secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Família, read the manifesto. It brings joy, The event paid tribute to Gaudí and expressed gratitude to all those who have contributed to the construction over time. "The Sagrada Familia is an immense, intergenerational work, the result of intelligence and collaborative imagination, the labor of many men and women who have dedicated themselves to it and made it the purpose of their lives. We are proud of this gift made of stone, which evokes the spiritual nobility of every human being, turning their heart and eyes to what is essential," said Solé. Furthermore, the Castellers de la Sagrada Família built a human tower inside the basilica. Finally, the celebration continued outside with the illumination of the Sant Bernabé tower.

As it did a century ago, the anniversary of the San Bernabé tower coincides with the beginning of Advent and the main feast of Saint Andrew, who was the first of the apostles called by Jesus. Thus, the tower symbolizes all the apostles. The tower's inauguration was a civic event, also from a spiritual perspective. "When the Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph spoke of their desire to build the temple, they envisioned gardens around the basilica for the neighbors, an attitude that today might seem paternalistic. While Francisco de Paula del Villar focused on constructing the building, Gaudí linked his works to love for people, to giving them something; not just keeping them away from the dangers of the street, but truly reaching the essence of humanity. What does a person need? They need a job, beauty, a family," says the architect.

An innovative structure

In his remarks, Faulí emphasized the architectural aspects of the Sant Bernabé tower. "Gaudí conceived a new kind of tower in the history of architecture, similar to cathedral towers but different," the architect stated. "The main innovation is its form. These are continuous towers from base to top; they have no steps. The entire tower is a bell tower. These forms are the result of the catenary curve, the foundation." Gaudí built two types of towers: bell towers and central towers, the latter corresponding to the Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ. "These other towers also have a continuous profile, but not due to the catenary curve, but rather the intersection of paraboloids." Furthermore, coinciding with the tower's centenary, an exhibition opens inside the basilica. 1925-2025. One hundred years of the Bernabé tower. Gaudí's first witness. which includes a detailed model of the tower terminal and the bell that Gaudí was able to test during his lifetime.

Indeed, the finials of the towers are a geometric elaboration of the attributes of a bishop, as the twelve bell towers represent the twelve apostles, who were the first bishops. From top to bottom are representations of the mitre, which includes the cross of the pectoral cross; the crosier, which is the main element of the finial's structure; a knot, by which the bishop would hold the crosier; and a ring, where there will be a spotlight to illuminate the tower of Jesus. "The spires on the Nativity, Passion, and Glory façades are similar, but the horizontal sections and geometry are somewhat different. On the Nativity façade, the section is an equilateral triangle; on the Passion façade, a square; and on the future Glory façade, it will be a pentanum.

As for the future of the tower of Saint Barnabas, the restoration of the terminal is planned for 2027, after the completion of the tower of Jesus in the coming months, and in parallel with the continuation of the cloister works and the construction of the Glory façade. "To make the terminals," concludes Faulí, "Gaudí already used prefabricated mortar, brittle stone, and Venetian glass. After his death, we have used large-scale prefabricated elements for the interior curves, reinforced stone [which combines stone and steel] for the towers, and we have used the cutting technique." He proposed it could be done, but he also knew that in the future new technologies would facilitate construction and allow it to be done with greater precision.