The Architectural Works of Antoni Gaudi

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The architectural works of Antoni Gaudi were by far the most enjoyable and fascinating part of Barcelona. Gaudi (1852-1926) was an exceptional architect, creating works with very few straight lines and embellished with decorative features and mosaic art.  Many of his works have not always been loved or appreciated, but now been awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO.

There are many examples of his work through out Barcelona, but below are the main places we visited and enjoyed.

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Lamp Posts in our Courtyard

On our last day we found out that the lamp posts in the Placa Rieal where we were staying were the first project which Gaudi was commissioned to design. These were beautiful and it showed Gaudi’s attention to detail from an early age.

Casa Batllo and Casa Mila

These two apartment buildings are like works of art dotted along the Passeig de Gracia, one of the main streets in Barcelona. They are very organic in shape and covered in mosaic tiles. It’s incredible to see such bold creations on a large scale.

Grace and Angela sitting on the seating at Parck Guell with Barcelona in the background
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Park Guell

This extraordinary park is actually a failed real estate development. It was a project funded by Eusebi Guell who commissioned Gaudi to design this ‘residential garden city’.

Due to the expense of the houses and the distance of the estate from the city, only two houses were ever built.  The model house which Gaudi later lived in, and one which was purchased and is still lived in by members of the family – and must now be worth and absolute fortune!

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But what was built is now a remarkable legacy for the city.  The high point of the park is a beautiful common area for games and concerts surrounded by about 30 meters of wavy mosaic seating over looking the city.  Under this area is the Hall of 100 Pillars designed to be a market place, with mosaic art on the ceiling and pillars around the perimeter sloping on an inwards angle.

From the steps up to the Hall of 100 Pillars you can look out past a large mosaic lizard and on to the amazing gate house and administrative buildings with another spectacular view of the city in the distance.

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Through out the park are coved walkways carved from stone, quarried from the actual site, shaped as pine trees or the inside of a wave.

The whole park is like walking through a fantasy world and on the beautiful warm sunny day on which we visited it was almost surreal.

Sagrada Familia

By far, this is Gaudi’s most famous work. A devout catholic, Gaudi devoted the remaining years of his life entirely to this project. There are three façades to the cathedral, the Nativity was the first to be finished, which Gaudi lived to see. The Passion façade is now nearly completed, while the Glory façade is still far from completion. It’s estimated that work will be completed in about 30 years.

Casa Batllo
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Words can hardly describe this building, we took 68 photo’s and none really show the amazing detail, or the grandness of the structure and the incredible way Gaudi entwined intricate details of nature into almost every part of the building.

We hope the photo’s here will give you some appreciation and understanding of this remarkable building.