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Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Completed "Virtually"
Unfinished cathedral project reconstructed in
3-D
(May/June 2000)
BY
MICHAEL S. ROSE
ANTONI GAUDÌ‘S
UNFINISHED MASTERPIECE, the Church of the Sagrada
Familia, is being completed "virtually" for a
feature film. The movie project was conceived by
36-year-old Toni Meca, who has spent the last four years
"virtually" completing the extraordinary
Barcelona church designed by the Spanish architect.
Gaudí (1852-1926) is recognized as one of the most
original designers of the late 19th and early
20th centuries. This church is his posthumous
testament.
Using sophisticated 3-D
computer modeling software, Meca’s technical team
comprised of more than a hundred people, will enable us
to see the Sagrada Familia as it will be when it is
completed. The reconstruction effort and movie are
entitled Glory Day. Since 1996, Meca has been
determined to anticipate history and present the Sagrada
Familia as a finished work, because the real church, a
vast edifice of cathedral dimensions (370 ft. x 280 ft.),
will require another 150 years at the rate that funding
and construction work is now proceeding.
The modeling process has
been long and difficult. Copies of over 400 sculptures
were executed by hand before being digitized in three
dimensions and integrated into the final computer model.
It promises to be a major historical and cultural
achievement.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam
"My client can wait," was Gaudí's genial
response to his helpers when delays occurred due to his
constant changes to the original plans. Gaudí always
acknowledged that his ultimate client was God, whom he
felt was in no hurry. The architect wanted the finest and
most perfect sacred temple for his client. He truly
worked ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater
glory of God.
Gaudí, known as
"neo-Medieval" in his day, developed a unique
personal style of building. His work is characterized by
the use of naturalistic forms, and his approach came to
be known as the "biological style." Sagrada
Familia is known for its conical spires, parabolic arched
doorways and freely curving lines. As in most of his
work, Gaudi has created the impression the stone used was
soft and modeled like clay or wax.
Gaudí undertook the task
in 1883 and his last years were dedicated exclusively to
carrying out this ambitious project. The inspired
architect wanted to create a "20th
century cathedral," a synthesis of all his
architectural knowledge, using a complex system of
Catholic symbolism and a visual explication of the
mysteries of faith. There would be façades representing
the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ with
eighteen towers symbolizing the twelve Apostles, the four
Evangelists, and the Virgin Mary and Christ. This latter,
the tallest, would stand 500 feet tall. He wanted to give
the edifice a spectacular vertical dimension by way of an
effusion of pinnacles and high, spiral-shaped towers
which would be covered in abstract patterns of Venetian
glass mosaic crowned by the Holy Cross. Gaudí became so
involved with his project that he set up residence in his
on-site study, although he never expected the church to
be completed in his lifetime.
Recently, the Archdiocese
of Barcelona announced the opening of the cause for
Gaudí's beatification, the first time an architect has
received such an honor.
Glory Day
Although the 3-D computer model will certainly dazzle and
delight the devotees of traditional Catholic art and
architecture, only time will tell if the movie is as
notable as its spectacular setting. Nonetheless the basic
plotline of Glory Day is an interesting one: To
celebrate the International Year of Gaudí (A.D. 2002),
the Mayor of Barcelona asks a powerful American-based
construction company to finish the world-renowned
cathedral. The company's famous architect (Jack)
confidently asserts that he can finish the Sagrada
Familia in as little as one year using a new
revolutionary material. A political decision is made that
the work will be finished by December 31st of
the year 2002. That day it will be officially inaugurated
in the presence of the Pope and other important world
leaders.
And while we can’t
promise the film will be worth its weight in cellulose, a
chance to view Gaudi’s masterpiece on the big screen
should be worth the price of the ticket.
[ St. Catherine Review ]
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