Reflection by: Dominic Chua
Chronicles of a pilgrim – Day 2 – Barcelona
#sequelachristi2024
“There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners,” said Antoni Gaudí, best known for the construction of the Sagrada Familia. This quote of his resonates with me as it reminds me of our pilgrimage. Much like nature, it is unpredictable and invites quiet reflection, which can give us a sense of connection to something greater.
Hi everyone, this is day 2 of our pilgrimage. To start the day, we visited Sagrada Familia! To be honest, when I first saw it from a distance, I was slightly disappointed. I was not expecting it to be that incomplete, and it looked very chaotic from afar. But at a closer look, I was blown away by the intricate details and design of the church. To give some context, Sagrada Familia has been under construction since Gaudí took over the project in 1883. It has 3 main façades, The Nativity, The Passion, and The Glory. Once completed, it will have 18 towers representing the 12 Apostles, 4 Evangelists, 1 for Mother Mary and 1 for Jesus. As we were about to enter, we were greeted by the nativity facade.
And as we entered, my first reaction was “Wow”. The naves and columns made it feel like a huge forest. The stained glass filled the church with colourful light that created a very peaceful and calming environment which added to the spiritual experience.
As we explored the church, Gloria, our guide, brought us to visit another side of the church, which was the Passion façade.
Besides the impressive sculptures, one that caught my eye was this cryptogram, similar to a sudoku, that added to 33 which was the age Jesus died.
After, we visited the museum within the church compound, where we learnt more about Gaudi and the history of the church. We even managed to see the workshop where the magic happens.
Next, we went on a tour around the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, and eventually ended the tour at the front of the church before lunch.
Following lunch, we headed back to the cathedral for mass. What was unique and surreal was that we celebrated mass right in-front of the tomb of Saint Eulalia.
We then headed back to the hotel for dinner and called it a day.
As I reflected on the day, I chanced upon a picture I took of a quote by Gaudí.
This quote served as a reminder of the importance of having trust and faith in the process of life. Though Gaudi knew that he would not live to see the completion of his creation, he trusted that the future generations would continue with the same vision. Similarly, in the world we live in, we may not always see the results we want instantaneously, but we have to trust our actions and trust that they will all turn out well in future.