Finding Religion (Barcelona, August 11)

Exterior of La Sagrada Familia

I am not a religious person. A physicist by training, my religion can roughly be summarized by: Gravity is the only universal force that has no opposing force; isn't that nifty.


Given that substantial religious bent (facetious), the following post is all the more indication of the beauty beheld, the spirit endowed, the grace bestowed.



Strangely, when I go to see sites, I try to go with very little information, contrary to most people’s method. I find that with no expectation and influence, my experience is more my own, untainted by general information or other’s commentary.

Staircase looking up within one of the towers

I went to see La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, mostly because that is what you do in Barcelona. I knew roughly that it was a cathedral of sorts. It has been in the building process for over a hundred years. The architect had fanciful ideas and much of his design aspirations were lost, though how his plans were lost I don’t recall.

Beyond that, I went with little information.

And was OVERCOME.

The Familia is a celebration of light and color and form.

Be sure to notice the spiral staircase on the right.

I entered the basilica, somewhat bent out of shape by the previous day which was a 15 hour work day, and also annoyed by a mishap on the metro just twenty minutes before. I was wound a little tight. Sure the outside of the basilica was interesting, but I was just vibrating on a negative frequency if you will.

The light is just glorious.

At first, the interior structure seemed solid, light colored, simple, a tremendous contrast to the dark, ornate, delicate fine embellishment of traditional cathedrals.

Then my eyes were drawn to the morning sun pouring through the east facing stained-glass rainbow mosaic, and with the morning light came also the dawn of my enlightenment of the vision.

A celebration of god’s light and color, painting across man’s attempts to shape beauty and worship from the stone provided.

The interior’s airy simplicity is a deferential acknowledgement of god’s ethereal complexity.

The vast color spectrum is painted daily, no moment by moment, across the plain, gray surfaces, by the true, one and only creator, making colorful, bright, organic and extraordinary what had merely been basic, cold and functional.

There was a spot, I will call The Spot of Awe. People would meander around a corner, and drift

The Spot of Awe, with an awe d admirer. Also notice how organic and warm the
cold beam behind her appears.

from shadow into the warm light cast through a particular set of stained glass windows.  Taken from the relative darkness into the light, their gaze drawn mysteriously upward, they would look up, their jaw would slacken, mouth fall ever so slightly agape,  awakened to the grace, anointed by the spirit.

The picture I did not take was the herds of people, awash in warm light, faces calm, at peace, chins pointed upward toward heavenly illumination.

Gaudi’s fanciful external architecture is interesting and nontraditional  But I must say, I don’t think his whimsical architecture is not the essence of this house of god.

The poorly captured inspiration for
The Spot of Awe.

The somewhat plain, humble, functional, structure within, illuminated by heavenly light, cast through a nearly infinite glass pallet… to me, that was the truest embodiment worship I have ever seen structurally embodied. It is an acknowledgement of god’s light, giving, warmth, complexity, and a deferential celebration of god’s creativity.

(All this has me wondering if my aversion to traditional western religion is partially just a strong distaste for its dark architecture and cluttered décor.)

If you ever have the opportunity to see La Sagrada Familia, go in the early morning so you can truly appreciate the light cascading through the windows.

I walked in, “vibrating on a negative frequency,” annoyed, irritated, stressed, tired and distracted.

And though it took the basilica some time, the warm light drew me in, reminded me that beauty abounds, and erased the day’s taints from my essence.

Stupid: That my pictures do not do anywhere near justice to the beauty. (And the way blogspot handles photo arrangement.)

Cool: Um, everything?

More seriously and perhaps strangely, I have a better understanding of religious because of this basilica’s architecture.  I would say Gaudi was a prophet, but unlike those before him, he did not speak the word of god and worship, he conveyed it through structure.

Fascinating.