Psalm 55 - La Sagrada Familia
(Definitely another of the “too long” ones- click through above for the full post)
Simply put, yesterday we were in the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sacred spaces I have ever entered into. La Sagrada Familia is simply stunning and no photograph or video can do justice to the experience of being in that still-unfinished space. I’ll just share some the photos below but I’ll say this as a connection to the Psalm. Psalm 55 is another rough Psalm - it is about the treachery of a friend. There’s a lot of ugliness. But in the middle there is this…
I call upon you
Knowing you will make me whole
In the evening and the morning and at noon
I moan and shout out my anguish
And I am heard
Delivered by you unharmed
Walking into La Sagrada Familia yesterday felt something of this Psalm. There is a lot of ugliness in the world right now. There is much fear and much to keep fighting against. But the story of the creation of this sacred space, the inspirations that Gaudi infused into it, and the desire of it to be a space of restoration and healing for all people, feels like this part of the Psalm I quoted - surrounded by so much that is heartbreaking, discouraging, frustrating, and angering, there are places that we can go for restoration, healing, and hope.
So, with that…My experience of La Sagrada Familia…
And this short video that I recorded when the organ started to play at one point while we were in the sanctuary…
And then for good measure, we saw this photo in the bakery where we ate before getting back to our hotel…We didn’t see U2 while in Dublin but we got this glimpse of them in Barcelona…sort of
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed
The thoughtfulness and faith that went into the construction of this space is a witness to those of us in the church today. All of the figures that tell the story of Christ’s life (in three parts on different sides of the building) are on the OUTSIDE of the cathedral. One entrance is dedicated to the birth narrative, the opposite is dedicated to the passion narrative and the yet unfinished narrative is dedicated to Christs reign in glory. The carvings and figures are incredible- the nativity in traditional style but the passion in blocky angular modernist figures to convey the pain and horror of those events.
Inside the cathedral the panels of stained glass mirror the sides of the story withe the nativity in cool greens and blues and purples. The passion side is orange and red and gold. The pillars holding up the roof are stylized trees made of differing stone for structural support and to mimic the variety in a forest. The feeling inside the building is open and light and airy. There are few images inside and the color invites imagination and wonder without supplying proscribed images. The one image the cathedral evoked in me was the image of the new Jerusalem from Revelation with trees planted on either side of a river and the water flowing from the temple - God living with the people wiping every tear from their eyes. May it be so!
I imagine you are familiar with this piece. Your lovely post immediately brought it to mind!
https://youtu.be/vA_dBIc33JE?si=ayycjHiaauWX7-_N