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In 1898, Eusebi Güell, a leading industrialist and patron of Catalan
arts and literature, commissioned the architect Antoni Gaudí to
design a church for the textile estate that he had founded in the municipality
of Santa Coloma de Cervelló in 1890.
In subsequent years, Gaudí carried out various preliminary studies
which resulted in a model of the church that was placed in a pavilion located
on the same hill where the church would be built.
Finally, in 1908, building work began. However, the ambitious
project, which foresaw two naves - an upper and a lower – to be completed
with various lateral turrets and a central dome 40 metres high, remained
unfinished.
In 1914, the Güell family informed Gaudí that it would no
longer fund the works in progress and Gaudí abandoned the project.
In November of the following year, the bishop of Barcelona
blessed the lower nave – the only one that was built – which
led to the church being commonly known as the crypt. Between 1915 and 1917,
a new builder enclosed the upper nave with brick walls and a roof of uralite
tiles.
Sketch of the stages of the building’s construction
2 A masterwork
Despite remaining unfinished, the church represents a high point in Gaudí’s
work. For the first time, almost all of his architectural innovations are
combined in this building.
Thus, in this church we already find the catenary arches which, while simplifying
the problem of loads, also determine the use of external walls in the shape
of hyperbolic paraboloids. The same unifying spirit is responsible for the
dynamic and flowing treatment of the interior space and the mechanisms that
blend the building into its natural surroundings – the various levels
of the naves fit into the slope of the hill and the materials have similar
colours and textures to those of the ground and vegetation.
All of these inputs add up to original solutions that respond to the desire
for synthesis between the structural layout, building techniques and architectural
forms, and which are also enriched by the aesthetic and symbolic value of
the purely ornamental elements.
3 The applied arts
In addition to key architectural and building innovations, the Colònia
Güell church also includes numerous examples of Gaudí’s
mastery of the applied arts, regarding both items of furniture and purely
ornamental ones.
Outstanding in this respect are the two seashells from the Philippines
which serve as stoups for holy water.
The pews with prie-dieux located in a circle around the main altar are also
exceptional. This particular distribution is possible thanks to the single
space of the nave, whose flow is enhanced by the light coming through the large
windows.
The stained-glass windows, which are of different sizes and have floral
patterns, incorporate ornamental trencadís and mosaics with religious
symbols on the exterior of the church. Such symbols also appear on the entrance
porch, where, as well as a glass and ceramic mosaic over the door with references
to the Holy Trinity and the cardinal and theological virtues, there are
crosses in each of the vaults.
4 Materials
One of the most significant aspects of the church is the variety of
materials used, including basalt and limestone, burnt ceramic bricks,
smelting slag, ceramics, glass and various kinds of mortar. Although
it appears to be a rather heterogeneous mix, its specific use is a
demonstration of Gaudí’s genius in combining the construction
requirements of the building and its ornamental and symbolic aspects.
In this way, the materials of the various columns of the porch and
the lower nave serve to achieve the necessary strength for the weight
they must bear and also give both spaces a dynamic and multi-purpose
rhythm.
In the same way, the bricks and smelting residual from the external
walls not only fulfil a building purpose but also, thanks to their
rough texture and earthy colour, the church also blends into its natural
surroundings. Moreover, these materials fit in with the religious nature
of the building. They are burnt, which means that the church has been
purified by fire, and as such corresponds to everything that is offered
to God.
5 A polyfunicular model
In order to implement the original solutions that he had come up with
for the Colonia Güell church, Gaudí had to invent a new
method of architectural projection: the polyfunicular model. Thanks
to this model, an inverted 3D visualisation of a design is obtained,
which would be difficult to achieve with traditional two-dimensional
representation.
The model works like this. A series of ropes was suspended from a
plank on which the plan of the church had been drawn, from points corresponding
to the junction of walls, or where columns rose up. Then, bags of lead
shot were attached to the other end of the ropes which, by raising
loads proportional to the real weight, generated the curves of the
corresponding arches. Once the structure of the building had been defined,
the model was lined with paper to obtain the vaults and walls.
Finally, the model was photographed and enlargements were made on
which Gaudí directly drew sketches of the final solutions for
the interior and exterior elevations of the church.
6 Hyperbolic paraboloids
One of the innovative principles of the church is the introduction, for
the first time in the history of architecture, of surfaces in the shape
of a hyperbolic paraboloid, used both for the walls and the vaults that
join the arches of the porch.
Highly dynamic and plastic, the unusual nature of these surfaces lies
in the fact that they are curves but, at the same time, regulated, as they
are generated by straight lines traced between two non-parallel edges.
Moreover, in the porch, the hyperbolic paraboloids enable the creation
of vaults that are both concave and convex. Gaudí emphasised this
startling appearance with triangular pieces of glazed tile that mark both
the curved parabolas and the straight lines.
As with the majority Gaudí’s work, the apparent formal complexity
of these architectural solutions corresponds to quite a simple building
method. All that was necessary, was to create a structure with wooden planks
that corresponded to straight lines from which the curved surface of the
hyperbolic paraboloid was generated.
7 Lower floor
See the drawing
1Reproduction of the cross designed by Gaudí in 1902 to finish
off the gate in the wall of Finca Miralles in Barcelona.
2The porch. If the upper nave had been built, it would have served to support
the access staircase
3The lower level of the porch
4 Door. Above the lintel, a soffit with a glass and ceramic mosaic
5 Lower nave. The different columns define a radial distribution of space
6 The Holy Christ chapel
7 Holy water stoups made of seashells
8 Space where the staircase leading to the upper nave would have gone.
9 Altar of the Virgin of Montserrat (Isidre Puig Boada) (1956)
10 Chancel reorganised by Peter Hardn (1965)Ciborium and angels by Josep M.
Jujol(1945 y 1946)
11 Altar of the Sagrada Familia (Josep M.Jujol, 1945)
12 Sacristy
13 Choir
14 Large windows with ceramic and glass coating protected by railings made
of recycled industrial material.
15 Retaining wall that follows the system of hyperbolic paraboloids (Antoni
González Moreno-Navarro, 2002)
8 Upper floor
See the drawing
16 New staircase leading to the upper floor.
17 Side entrance door to the upper nave that was not built.
18 New terrace, located higher than planned for the floor of the upper nave
so as to respect Gaudí’s original roof for the lower nave.
19 In future, access for disabled people.
20 Coping of the interrupted walls of the upper nave with basalt.
21 Stones of a different colour from the rest of the terrace floor, placed
at the points where the columns of the upper nave would have been.
22 Body of the Holy Christ chapel in the lower nave above which, just as over
the sacristy and the side door, one of the church’s turrets was to be
built.
23 Ramp where the staircase leading to the upper nave would have been located.
24 Uncovered platform in the main entrance.
25 The porch of the main entrance. As was the case for the ramp and the staircase,
the floor was covered with zinc.
26 Main door.
27 Door leading to the baptistery.
28 Belfry built on the base of one of the church’s lateral turrets.
9 Restoration
Promoted by the Colònia Güell Consortium and financed by the
Barcelona City Council and the Ministries of Culture and Promote, the current
restoration of the church was planned and begun out by SPAL (the City Council
Department of Local Architectural Heritage) under the management of the
architect, Antoni González Moreno - Navarro.
On the one hand, this project responds to the need to restore the original
value of Antoni Gaudí’s work. Consequently, in addition to
the usual restoration and conservation works, the elements added after
Gaudí abandoned the project which detracted from it, were eliminated.
On the other hand, the aim was to complete an unfinished work. This objective
included finishing the formal aspect of the project (coping the interrupted
external walls), and also the functional aspect, which entailed reorganising
the means of access: a new entrance way was created which, instead of taking
visitors to the unbuilt staircase that would have given access to the upper
nave, leads them to the door of the lower one and, after going through
the door, to new staircases that go up to the terrace on the upper floor.
 Attached
document
Sections
Initial idea that was not carried out
1908-1914
additions 1915-1970
1999-2002
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