Festival of lights in Barcelona. For the first time in over 140 years the towers of the Evangelists of the Sagrada Familia are lit. The lighting takes place on the occasion of the blessing by the archbishop of the Catalan capital, Monsignor Juan José Omella to celebrate the end of their construction.
The towers of the Evangelists
The 135 meter high towers located in the center of the building are dedicated to the evangelists Matthew and John. The construction was completed at the end of September, with the installation of immense white figures depicting a human bust and the profile of an eagle placed on the tip. The other two towers of the evangelists Luke and Mark, crowned by the figures of the ox and the lion, were placed in 2022. The complex of the evangelists’ towers in the church conceived by the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudì has therefore been completed. In 2021, the construction and decoration of the Maria tower, 138 meters high, was completed. Now the sixth and final tower is missing, the one celebrating Christ, 172.5 meters high.
The unfinished work
The Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world. This building in Barcelona is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Spain. Its construction began in 1882 and remained unfinished for over 140 years. Architectural work mainly by the architect Gaudì who, at the age of 31, in 1883 took over the construction work begun a year earlier and changed the style from neo-Gothic to Art Nouveau. Gaudì worked on the church, dedicating the last 15 years of his life entirely to it. The builders aim to complete it in 2026, coinciding with the centenary of the famous architect’s death. The basilica’s construction committee had initially announced the completion of the entire basilica by 2026, but the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the project. “If we hadn’t had a serious problem like the pandemic, the Sagrada Famiglia would have been completed within ten years at most,” said the president of the board of directors, Esteve Camps.
Source-tg24.sky.it