Avinguda De Gaudi : Sagrada Familia and Hospital de Sant Pau

Sagrada Familia is Barcelona's most visited tourist attraction.

But, it's still under construction! Imagine how many visitors and worshipers it will bring when it is complete!

This weekend, the only one between Paris and Rome, I decided to go check out the Hospital de Sant Pau way on the other side of Eixample. We had learned about it our history class and it looked really cool. Victoria and I decided to walk all the way there by way of Passage de Gracia w/ it's two Gaudi apartments (Casa Batllo and Casa Mila) and the Gaudi designed Sagrada Fimilia.

The Hospital was designed by the Gaudi's main rival architect, Lluis Domenech i Montaner. It was interesting to get and see the Gaudi works then take Gaudi Boulevard to Montaner's work. (It's obvious who the city likes more)

Sagrada Familia was Gaudi's masterpiece that was never finished. He was given the task of completing a Neo-Gothic church in 1883. He changed all the plans and worked on it for years until he became a recluse, living and working in the crypt for 16 years...obsessed with the project. At his death, only one tower on the Nativity facade was finished. Work resumed after Spain's Civil War and continues today.
The Passion Facade, completed in the 1980's
Many more towers have been completed in the last 75 years.The Nativity FacadeThe Nativity facade is strange...It's organic carvings give the since that the church is melting. Its an architectural aspect found on much of Gaudi's work. Its very obvious where the existing Neo-Gothic church stops and Gaudi's organic design starts. This terracotta tree with doves was a piece of ornamentation that I thought was a little cheesy at first. Now that I'm looking at it in this photo I really like it. This kind of color ornamentation is not found on any other cathedral in Europe. It really is Europe's most unconventional church. It looks as if the church is in ruins and starting to be taken over by nature.Next, we walked down Avinguda De Gaudi to his rival's masterpiece. It faces the Sagrada, looking down the avenue's rambla.

View of the Sagrada, looking down the rambla.

Some really cool lights along the rambla. They remind me of a variation on some other lights around the city (Passage De Gracia, The park the connects the Arc del Triomf with Parc de l Ciutadella). I think they could be a Gaudi design? Defiantly modernista. Its interesting how much infrastructure like this can effect the street experience of an area. Cool, artistic light fixtures really give a since of place and elegant ones make the city much more beautiful and 'world class.' (Something to keep in mind in my own project)A cool statue at the end of the rambla next to the hospital. Sagrada looms in the distance

The Hospital de San Pau is a series of 26 beautiful and ornate "Mudejar-style" pavilions set in a huge garden. Lluis Domenech thought that surrounding the patients with fresh air and trees would make them recover faster. All the buildings are connected underground by corridors. He also thought that art and color were therapeutic so he decorated the pavilions elaborately. The result is beautiful.

Street facade, Check-in, Main entry into courtyard
Elaborate modernista gates
The Passage from the Street to the Courtyard has a beautiful ceiling. I've seem passageways with a similar vault, but built with dark stone. The terracotta tiles make it much more inviting and bright.
The hospital buildings remind me of the retail buildings in Kansas City's Plaza. They would make really nice condos if the hospital ever shut down

From some views, it hard to remember that you are even in a hospital


I really enjoyed the hospital and see how that environment could be better for sick patients. The only bad part was that it had a really weird mix of tourists (there was a group of Japanese tourists there too), doctors running around, and people actually there w/ a sick family member. I felt kind of bad taking pictures. Anyway, The design was very beautiful and I actually really like this guy's work over Gaudi's strange works.