Gaudi’s Crypt in Barcelona

I had spent some time visiting Gaudi's treasures in Barcelona and I wanted to 'connect' with the man himself in some way.  I went looking for his resting place, a beautiful little chapel underneath the famous Sagrada Familia which is very busy with tourists.  Gaudi spent 42 years of his life working on this Cathedral, which is very impressive considering work is still continuing by means of drawings left by Gaudi some 130 years ago.  But the crypt is very different, it has a beautiful warm welcome as you enter down the big stone staircase.  Candles are lighting and glowing strong, this place is serene.  The stained glass windows were designed before Gaudi had an input and I actually prefer them to the ones upstairs which represent the elements as requested by Gaudi (in keeping with his mosaic style).

Gaudi certainly got the best resting place for himself.  I'm sure its quiet unusual for an artist to be buried in a crypt but this guy owns the place.  For the 42 years he spent working on this cathedral he went to confession in a tiny chapel in the middle of the gothic quarter every single day! We have no idea what he was confessing lol, all he seemed to do was work.  Gaudi was without a doubt a workaholic.  From the time he was starting to make an influence on the cities rich socialites when he wore the best suits and ate at the best restaurants to the time of his death he had let his appearance go.  At 78 years of age he was knocked down by a tram in the center of Barcelona, presumably going to or coming back from confession.  The tram driver took him for a hobo and moved the badly injured man to the side of the road.  An onlooker came and tried to put Gaudi into a taxi, not knowing who the very famous artist was, the taxi driver refused.  It wasn't until the following day at the hospital that Gaudi was recognized as himself and passed soon after.  Above his resting place is a beautiful statue of the Madonna with child framed by a mosaic backdrop  with a pale green lantern to each side.  I had a quick word with him (in my head of course lol) about how I admired his work and thanked him for sharing it with us and I lit a candle for him as a salute to his genius.  Gaudi's Sagrada Familia is scheduled to be finished within the next five years, with the structure complete within the next year. I was lucky enough to visit on a quiet day where I had the crypt pretty much to myself for the time I was there.  It was a treat indeed to have some time alone whilst visiting the beautiful resting place of such an amazing and creative artist.