Gaudi’s Architectural Mysteries and Symbols

Antonio Gaudi who brought to life many buildings and public spaces, is considered the Architect of God. One of the most representative cities for his art is Barcelona, where the architect lived and created some of the most famous forms of unique architecture, inspired completely by nature and by religion.

He was born in 1852 in Catalunya and lived his entire life in Barcelona, dedicating his whole life to bring life and colors to the city.

The incredible style of this superhuman architect is present in many buildings, houses, parks, palaces, mosaics, decorations, waterfalls and his biggest opera: the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

Even though his creations were part of the architectural style Art Nouveau, he has bought a new original style of architecture full of colors and fantasy.

Why his operas are so fascinating and mysterious?

It is because his intriguing mind combined the most impressive creations, connecting nature, religion and architecture, creating the most charming city in the world: Barcelona.

Visiting the streets of Barcelona, you will cross by many of his creations, starting from the amazing unique mosaics, houses, plazas or palaces and parks.

If we think about the grandiose creations of this illuminated mind, we can believe that he had been assisted by God Himself. Antonio Gaudi strongly believed in the words he has left us even today: “Architecture is an arrangement of light, while sculpture is a light play.” and so he created his art in a stunning way.

The most amazing creations of Antonio Gaudi are in Barcelona and still surprise with their own mysteries.

Barcelona is the city of wonders, considering it hosts and preserves the many creations of Antonio Gaudi. The most impressive thing about his art is the details captured in his work, the way he combined the symbols of religion and nature and the complexity of his creations.

Some of the most famous creations of Antonio Gaudi include:

• Casa Vicent – his first creation in Barcelona
• Palau Guell – impressive thanks to its non-symmetrical arcade lines
• Casa Calvet – his most traditional work
• Finca Miralles – that fascinates thanks to ceramic bricks attached to the walls
• Parc Guell – it is one of the most fascinating works of Gaudi. A park brought to life as in the fairytales, with colorful houses and arcades that seem to lead to the sky. The park preserves many impressive sculptures. He combined Oversized architectural forms that create an equilibrium similar to the one that appears in nature. The park looks like a huge Mediterranean garden where he combines the perfection of nature, religion and architecture.
• Casa Batllo – it’s a fascinating futuristic building that impresses with unusual combinations of materials, colors, and religious symbols, together with the marine life.
• The waterfall from Ciutadella Park
• Sagrada Familia – The Church built by the influence of God over Antonio Gaudi?

But undoubtedly, the biggest creation of the Architect of God is Sagrada Familia, a huge cathedral that keeps many secrets. Many stories have been built around this cathedral.

Nowadays, Sagrada Familia is the most visited monument in Barcelona even though it is not yet completed. Despite the many visitors who cross the threshold, not everyone, knows its secrets, because the cathedral holds mysterious hidden symbols, that have not yet been revealed

The genius mind of Gaudi, who was a lover of creating art combining the mysteries of nature and religion, introduced in his famous building a series of hidden symbols, that many of us can’t understand even nowadays.

Symbols and secrets of the wonderful Basilica Sagrada Familia

He designed the interior of the basilica according to the laws of nature, which never creates something in straight lines. The columns that sustain the interior were designed as trees from nature, and it is a mystery how they can sustain the huge mass of stone from the basilica.

Antonio Gaudi was always fascinated by symmetry and numbers. Maybe that’s the reason why we can find many symbols on the facades of the basilica. He included the magic mathematic squares, with numbers that sum 33 in any direction.

Moreover, it is considered that he used this magical number to symbolize the age when Jesus died. Also, the number 33 can symbolize many other things: 33 is an important figure for Masons, the man reaches the physical and psychological peak at the age of 33, and the spine has 33 vertebrae at birth.

Sagrada Familia is believed to have been constructed in such a way, to give the impression it unites with the sky.

The Architect Antonio Gaudi designed Sagrada Familia in many details, including scenes from the bible, including symbols of the universe and mystical elements of the Egyptian culture, as well as messages about the changing nature of man.

Also, the three facades of the church have their own symbols:

• The first façade, from the east, is called Fate of the Nativity and has been ornamented by Gaudi with motifs showing animals and plants.
• The opposite arcade, Fate of the Passion, represents Jesus crucified.
• The four towers will represent the 12 apostles and four other towers will represent the four evangelists. They will be constructed surrounding the highest tower dedicated to Jesus Christ and the last tower will be dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Conclusions

Even thought Antonio Gaudi devoted his whole life to the building of the church, he died when the basilica was just at the beginning of its construction. The creation of the Basilica is expected to be finished in the year 2020.

Antonio Gaudi was, in my opinion, the most intriguing architect, leaving behind a huge legacy that we can enjoy, again and again, trying to discover its mysteries and its secrets.