Segrada Familia Details

On the perimeter is the cloister designed by Gaudi as a solution to isolate the church from outside. Like the rest of the project it is four meters above the ground, and its total length is 240 meters. For windows, Gaudi designed three different types, to achieve a transition from the original Gothic structure and the naturalist style applied in later years.

The first level under the Cantoria is Gothic, the second on Cantoria, presents an elliptical hyperboloid, surrounded by four circles, on a frieze of elongated openings, the third corresponding to the nave, is also surrounded by an elliptical hyperboloid and then two hyperboloids and four elongated openings, the central figure is the inscription Gloriam.

Between the windows are a helical columns with inscriptions like Aurum, myrrham in Latin, representing gold, frankincense and myrrh, prayers, sacrifices with the word   Almoina Catalan for  prayer, sacrifice and charity.

The opposite on the exterior walls are other inscriptions, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Sursum Corda, Gratia full and Ora pro nobis.

The windows in a front end, the apex are crowned with a baskets of fruit apples, figs, lemons, peaches, almonds, plums, pomegranates and medlars symbolizing the fruits of the Holy Spirit that rains on men. In each window mullion are Holy Founders, Ignatius of Loyola, Jose de Calasanz, Domingo de Guzman, Pedro Nolasco, Raymond of Penafort, Francisco de Paula, Teresa of Jesus of Vedruna Joaquina, Antonio Maria Claret, Felipe Neri, Juan Bosco , Vincent de Paul, Joan of Lestonnac and Jose Manyanet.

At intersections with the walls of the cloister Gaudi designed panels dedicated to the Virgin and on both sides of the facade of the Nativity, Our Lady of the Rosary of Montserrat and in the facade of the Passion, Our Lady of Mercy and the Sorrows. Especially prominent is the Rosary, which Gaudi chose to demonstrate how it had to be the decoration in the rest of the temple.

The site is headed by the Virgin with Child flanked by Santo Domingo and Santa Catalina and other scenes are the Death of the Fair, showing the Virgin with a dying person and the Child Jesus, The Temptation of Women, represented by a monster in the form of a fish that gives a woman a bag of money, and the Temptation of Man, symbolized by a devil who gives a worker an Orsini bomb, used by anarchists at the time.

On each side of the doors are The Kings David and Solomon and the prophets, Isaac and Jacob and a profusion of roses that adorn the entire porch, and phrases like the last words of the Ave Maria, “Et in hours mortis nostrae, Amen”.

In the four corners of the temple are three obelisks each representing the cardinal points, the four seasons, Christian fasts in the seasons and in turn connected with orders of the  priests, the cardinal virtues represented symbolically and symbols of San Jose Lily, Mary crown and Jesus varying in each group.

Finally on each central obelisk there are three of the twelve stanzas of the hymn of Daniel children of Babylon Trium puerorum, and on one side Sancte Joseph, Ora pro nobis, and the other Genitrix Sancta Dei, Ora pro nobis, Deo gratias .

The Cardinal points have Jesus Symbol of Virtue, North Winter Tempore Advent Prudencia and the smaller orders, moneybox and snake, Emmanuel and the The Lenten Spring Tempore Temperance subdiaconato, short tongs and bread knife and the cross INRI, The South Pentecost diaconato Summer Tempore Justice sword and balance and the sol cross, The West Fall season from September presbiterato Fortaleza, helmet and breastplate its anagram.