When the Antonio Gaudí died in 1926, the story quickly became the stuff of legend.
Crossing the street, the 73-year-old man was struck down by a tram. Lying in the road in his shabby clothes, people initially mistook him for a beggar.
In fact, he was the architect of the Sagrada Família, the iconic (and still unfinished) cathedral which today pulls in millions of visitors from around the world. One hundred years after being laid to rest in the cathedral’s crypt, Gaudí is Barcelona’s most beloved son, and the reason that many people make the trip to visit the city in the first place. In the last few decades, it’s become one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the world, with high-rise buildings springing up around the iconic Las Ramblas, a thriving musical scene and shops on every corner selling fridge magnets, bags and Park Guell-themed memorabilia.
Yet, Gaudí’s DNA is still woven into the fabric of its winding streets – as we’re about to discover. We start our journey at the Kimpton Vividora, in the city’s old Gothic quarter, with its narrow passageways, dotted here and there with sunny squares and lined with old cathedrals. With its chic, minimalist bedrooms and excellent in-house restaurants, it’s the perfect starting point for people wanting to get a taste of the city – plus, everything is within walking distance.
From the terrace on its roof (understandably a popular vantage point for both locals and tourists), it’s possible to see across the entire city, including all the way to the stately Plaça Reial, where Gaudí designed his first project for the city, crafting the square’s lampposts.
Wandering the streets of Barcelona, it’s still possible to see remnants of Gaudí everywhere. The tiles lining the pavements of Passeig de Gràcia contain miniature seashells and wavy patterns designed by the architect to adorn the floor next to Casa Mila; down the road from La Pedrera, with its undulating lines, is the Casa Battló, a visual feast of blue mosaic and ornate ironwork designed to tell the story of St George and the Dragon.
The Sagrada Família pokes above Barcelona’s skyline like a massive anthill. The Gothic Quarter, where the Vividora waits with its Wednesday night communal drinks evenings and mimosa brunches, was home to Gaudí during his years as a student, as well as the Sant Felip Neri church, where he worshipped all through his life.
Gaudí himself was born and grew up in the Baix Camp district, either in Reus or neighbouring Riudoms, but moved to Barcelona to study architecture, working as a draughtsman to finance his studies – including for noted architects like Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano and Josep Fontserè.
His teachers, like many, didn’t quite know what to make of him. Elies Rogent, the then-director of the Architecture School, handed Gaudí his degree, reportedly saying, “We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show.”
It did. The young architect quickly made a name for himself, especially for his unique, nature-influenced designs, influenced by his strict Catholic faith. One of his first commissions, Casa Vicens, was decorated with ceramic tiles painted with marigolds, and iron recreations of a fan palm – inspired by ones he found on the building site. He combined this with a passion for geometry and ruled surfaces. The parabola was a particular Gaudí favourite, thanks to its exceptionally strong design and nature-inspired beauty: it crops up repeatedly in the Sagrada Família and across his work in the city in the form of the catenary arch.
But that was all to come. For people wanting to get a taste of earliest work, the Park Guëll, located high above the city, is one of the most enduringly popular Gaudí attractions in Barcelona, and a great place to get a sense of the architect’s early work.
Commissioned by the Count Eusebi Guëll, one of his lifelong patrons, it was initially designed as a housing complex, that eventually (due to budget constraints) became a park, populated by some of Gaudí’s most eye-catching work: a massive mosaic lizard, the melting ice-cream roof of the warden’s house and the austere Pont de Baix which offers gorgeous views over the city; on the day I visited, the sky was clear and blue, and the whole city stretched out before me, bordered by the glistening Mediterranean.
By 1882, Gaudí was recommended to support Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano in the construction of a new cathedral for the city. By 1883, only a crypt had been built, and Villar had resigned. The stage was set for his greatest achievement yet, the Sagrada Família.
Entering the cathedral is an awe-inspiring experience. Still unfinished (though the tallest tower has been completed, and the Pope is coming to visit in June), the ornate side entrance boasts a stone rendering of the nativity myth in fluid lines and exquisite detail; on the opposite side, where visitors leave, the style is brutalist, showing a spare rendering of the crucifixion. It was completed in 1976, five decades after his death, by the Catalan stoneworker Josep Maria Subirachs – though those who look closely may also see an effigy of a man in profile that looks suspiciously like the man himself (and indeed, it’s based on the last-ever known image to have been taken of Gaudí before his death).
Inside the Sagrada Família, that same sense of attention to detail remains. The main nave is 45 metres high and 90 metres long; every single measurement of the cathedral is a multiple of 7.5. Why? According to Gaudí, God spent seven days creating the Earth, while the number eight symbolised heaven.
7.5, therefore, meant his masterpiece would occupy a space in between – not a statement to be disagreed with, given the breathtaking interior of the cathedral, with its glowing stained-glass windows (only installed in 2001) and white stone walls.
Even the tilted columns represent a gigantic feat of engineering achievement – they’re much thinner than they should be, given that they’re supporting hundreds of tonnes of stone, and 18 stone towers. This remains Gaudí’s greatest contributing to architecture: the double twist column, capable of holding the weight of an ordinary column five times thicker thanks to its conical structure.
Leaving this vaulted space, into the cooling Spanish night, feels almost spiritual. But that feeling doesn’t last long. Underneath the cathedral awaits its gargantuan museum, packed with models and drawing plans; just down the road waits the Avinguda Gaudí, stuffed with bars and restaurants, as well as the world’s largest Art Nouveau complex in the form of the Hospital de Sant Pau.
One hundred years after his death, the city is still buzzing; still reinventing itself. And at the end of a day’s exploring, the Kimpton Vividora will be waiting with a glass of red wine and a plate of jamon.
Room rates at the Kimpton Vividora start from £230; kimptonvividorahotel.com
