I found a pediatric ENT conference in Spain, so my first couple of days were in a conference in Barcelona, but I was still able to go out and explore. Later on, my brother and AB came to join me. The hotel was so fancy looking- I think it won some kind of architectural award:
1) 15 BC Roman Augustus sent soldiers on a boat, and they founded a military camp with a massive wall 1.3 km around.
2) 500 BC. A man named Hercules was sailing with a group of ships, and they came upon a storm. 1 boat was lost and landed on Catalan. Hercules than founded the city here and called it the 9th boat "Barcelona."
We saw part of the ancient city aqueduct come out of the city wall next to the Cathedral of Barcelona. The city wall used to have 76 defense towers.
Across, is a funny looking building, looking as if some kid drew on it. Apparently it's the Department of Architecture with the drawings of Picasso.
Very big celebration during Christmas. Apparently, instead of Santa Claus, there's a Caga Tio ("poo log") that comes. It's a Log with a Catalan hat. People are supposed to "feed" the log, sing Catalan songs, and hit it so that it would poo presents.
Another interesting tradition: the Caganer. It's literally a pooper. Supposed to represent what earth gives us, we give back. Also good luck for the new year.
From:
https://suitelife.com/blog/events-and-festivals-in-barcelona/the-strangest-catalan-christmas-traditions/
https://www.wildcoastcompass.com/countdown-christmas-crazy-traditions-caganer/
http://www.itacas.com/en/caganers/159-caganer-donald-trump.html
Barcelona Cathedral:
The cathedral was built mostly in 1300 and 1800's - Barcelona's prosperous times. The church has 3 different architectural styles because the initial church was Romanesque (plain-looking, short, thick rounded arch) in 1046, and then gothic (pointed arch, stronger and gargoyles) and neogothic styles later. The top of it has a statue of St. Helena - mother of Constantine, who made worship of Christianity legal.
8:30am to 12:30pm M to Sat free to go in.
You can see a Sardona dance every Sunday at noon.
The back of it has different animal gargoyles.
If a church has a square on its front or side, it most likely used to be a cemetery. For example, this church sustained damages during bombings of the Spanish Civil War. Also during Hitler and Mousolini times, there were 2 bombings here in succession, so many people died (including people who tried to help those who were hurt by the initial bombing).
Barcelona also has a strange habit of moving buildings stone by stone. Example: the facade of guild hall was brought here. And later the coppersmith and shoemaker guilds were brought to this square as well. Guilds are a very important of Barcelona history, and you will see their shrines in the cathedral. Now the square is a school playgound. The movie Vicky Christina Barcelona was also filmed here featuring Woody Alan and Penelope Cruz.
As we wind down some narrow walking-only cobblestone streets, we see this glass case with a glass figure on Baixada De Santa Eulalia street. She is the Co-patron saint of Barcelona. Story goes she is a 13yo girl who lived outside the Roman city wall. During the persecution of Christians by Diognecian, she gave the soldiers a piece of her mind. She refused to repent, and had to endure 13 tortures including whipping, hooks, finger nails pulled, put in a wooden barrel with sharp items and rolled down a hill, and finally crucified. She died in a snowstorm, and story goes the snow covered her nakedness. There also happens to be 13 white live geese in the cathedral cloisters that act as guard dogs. The Cathedral of Barcelona is named after her.
Jewish Quarter:
The oldest house in Barcelona is here with a lamp. It's suspected to be a synagogue because it's facing SE toward Jerusalem with 2 windows shining through. It was part of the 3rd century Roman ruins. If it was truly from then, then it would be one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. It would have been like a city within a city.
What happened to the Jews: Jews used to be moneylenders because the other Christians weren't allowed to be moneylenders. They also held other good jobs like merchants and doctors. During the 1348 plague, 50% of the people died, and hte Jews were accused of poisoning the wells. In 1391, they attacked the Jews, known as the El Call - forced them to convert to Christianity or be murdered.
St James Square: center of Roman city. Temple of Augustus used to be here, now it's a city hall. there are 3 flags: Catalan, Spain, and Barcelona. England's flag is also there because the patron saint of Barcelona is St. George, who is also the saint for England. Story goes that St. George killed a dragon who was going to eat a princess, and a rose grew from it, and he gave it to the princess. So every april 25th on St. George day, men give women roses. And then women give men books on book day. On St. George's day, they also make the Catalan Human castle, where they literally stack as many people high as possible (9 people!!!).
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| Human Tower (from Wikipedia) |
Roman's lost power to Germanic barbarians. Then the Moors of Africa invaded Spain, which ended the Frankish empire. The Marka espanica was the buffer zone between Moors of the south and Christian in the North. In 9th CE, kings sent loyal people to the Spain to overlook everything. Count of Barcelona Wilfred the hairy united the counts and formed old Catalonia and declared himself king. Story goes, he was injured, and dragged his bloody finger on his gold shield, which resulted in the current Catalan flag.
There was a protest to separate Catalan from rest of Spain:
Surrounding Plaza de Reine: Prince house. Vice Roy building. Muse historia de Barcelona. Execution house.
Born Neighborhood:
Sainta Maria church was named after Our Lady of the Sea. Built in 14th CE, took 54 years to build (vs 130 years Gaudi's cathedral, still building). Working class people built it because there was no room in the Cathedral for them. They worked really hard to move rocks from Montjuic (the mountain in Barcelona). The Side door is open for free entrance.
In front of the church is flame that is constantly burning for those who died in the seige at the end of the War of Spanish Succession in 1714. When Charles the 2nd died (partly due to inbreeding), he left no heir, so war broke out between the French Phillip V and Castille Archduke Charles. Phillip V won, and harshly outlawed the furs of Catalonia and the language Catalan. Eventually it was abolished, and started the Modernism Era.
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| Santa Maria church |
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| Eternal burning flame on right |
Temple of Augustus: 4 columns with Corinthian capitols sandstone left of 30. 100 AD. In forum, major structure,npriests conducted religious ceremony outside. People middle ages built house on top...now preserve.
House of Guell
Guell's father made a fortune as a merchant in the Caribbean. Guell had a cement factory, vineyards, and was involved in politics, and a poet. Guell married Isabelle, who's father was an important merchant made Marquis by the king and was the 25th wealthiest man of the world.
Guell found Gaudi at the Paris exhibition. Guell's 1st assignment for him was to build this home with unlimited budget. He was still using Neogothic style, not his famous modernist style yet. He was young and just out school.
Outer part of the house is auster and sober. The Raval neighborhood was full of workers/factories, prostitute, and drugs. In 1888, it was the queen's inauguration palace. Stone from garaf (own query). Materials: American wood, iron, industrial bars.
There is a stable and storage underground. Vents allow natural air ventilation and hygiene. Spiral staircase is to reflect natural spirals in nature, inspired by Oriental/islamic art.
19 years of restoration. Wood entrance for muffle noise.
Door: natural arch, spirals, snake body. Coat of arms bc made count by king and contribute fortune to Spain. Coat of arms and pheonix on top. Promote Catalan Renaissance (promote culture).
Door is German Renaissance style made from Eucalyptus wood. Provincial gov used this space as an office. Guell's family live here till 1906.
Spanish civil war: house was confiscated and turned into a police station. Guell's last daughter gave the house to Barcelona.
Library: Sink to wash hands, to respect books. Light air go inside.
Marble from the Pyrenees. Limestone ceiling, like dripping water.
Hercules painting: believed to be founder of Barcelona. Natural arch. Mahogany, American oak. Versailles pattern.
Smoking room: ebony bench, iron, leather.
Ceiling Islamic style. Public space. Visually enlarges the space. Waiting room: impress with gold ceiling and red. Servants peek at guests for needs from secrete passages above. There is painting of King Lear and Count of Bertram: all's well that ends well.
Main room: 16 meter. Axis of palace. Every room looks at this room. Good acoustics, central music. 2 family pianist. The organ has1300 pipes.
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| Giant organ with 1300 pipes, and we got to hear it being played! |
Alter: door is made of boxwood, bone, horn.
Place of the woman. St of Isabelle marble statue.
Meeting place of family, private.
Isabelle's (wife) bedroom is ornate. Guell's room is austere - contrasting.
Servants are people to be hidden so they live in the attic. They have their own doors/staircases that are hidden.
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| Secret passage for servants to look down at what master needs. |
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| Way to secret servant passages |
Studio.
Oldest daughter Isabelle's room. Macbeth and Hamlet.
Chairs of cats and rats. Male and female.
James 1st conquer Valencia area. Bat showed where Muslims were hidden, so they were able to reconquer the area.
Chimneys are the most well known: very ornate and made of broken glass, tiles, and dishes from all over Europe. Kilns used to make lime. Also marble and brick chimneys.
Columns inside are especially designed to look like trees so it feels like you're in a forest. The "branches" are able to support such a high ceiling without buttresses, which is unique. Central 4 columns are made of porphyry, a very strong material.
Signs of Mark, Matthew, Luke, Luke. The other columns are made of porphyry, basalt, granite, and sandstone. There are different stained glass colors on the west vs east side. Cool colors on one side represent Nativity, and warm colors on the other for Passion.
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| Cool green/blue colors for Nativity side. |
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| Warm red/orange/yellow colors for Passion side. |
Names of saints on are written on the glass.
Top orange triangle on the cone represents God.
Gaudi's tomb is in the crypt. He spent 12 years on the temple. He was able to see the Passion Facade completed. The Sagrada Familia was intentionally built 172.5m lower than the nearby highest mountain Montjuic because Gaudi didn't want man's creation to be greater than God's.
Pinnacle represent bishop's mitre (hat), crosier (staff) and ring.
Throughout the church there are branches of oleander, helicoid plant rotating leaves. Polyhedral shapes of crystallization of Galena, pyrite, fluorite.
Gaudi first made a plaster model, then life size model, then stone model. Gaudi's design of the Sagrada Familia changed as time went on:
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| Initial simple design |
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| Final design |
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| The use of catenary arches (natural arch) allow for very high roof without supporting buttresses. This is the Familia Sagrada upside down - you can see the arches would hang naturally. |
Barcelona History Museum:
Original city wall from long time ago is part of it's wall.
See remnants of:
Laundry and dye shop
Ammonium lime to wash. Starch to crisp, lavender to scent.
Dyes: urine, hematite, saffron, herbal paste, alum, bran, lime, Egyptian blue.
Fish and sauce shop. Pots to make garum.
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| Wine factory: see the holes where wine was stored/made |
There was an episcopal palace built over a former house.
Barcelona Cathedral:
Construction started in the 13-14th century, but not completed till 500 yr later.
The initial style was Catalan gothic: side nearly tall as center.
In the 15 century, an octagonal dome was built. 6 yr construction was halted with a wooden roof.
The Gerona banker family financed the completion of the main façade in a Neogothic style.
The cathedral has 215 keystones (top stone on the domes), and they weight up to 5 tons!! Story goes, it took 45 sailors to lift one up and they would hold a banquet after lifting one.
The crypt holds St Aulelia's body.
Of note, St Mark is the saint of shoe makers. Legend has it that St Mark needed new shoes, and he was healed when he prick himself on a nail.
Bernardino is the saint of mat makers.
Casa Batllo
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| Gaudi was inspired by underwater and ocean themes for this house. So many mosaics. |
Park Guell
Park designed by Gaudi. Initially it was supposed to be a living community, but that failed, so it has now become a park. Gaudi drew his inspiration from nature, so there are a lot of curves and spirals.
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| Undulating seating area in the first section |
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| Curving staircases |
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| Underneath like a wave |
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| Buildings that look like gingerbread houses. The left one is the guardhouse. |
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| This is under the first part, and it filters and stores water. |
Gaudi: what a one of a kind architect!
