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Here’s one the most amazing parts of the whole tour: the cathedral is still under construction, so a small cadre of artists and craftsmen continue their work under the eyes of tourists. One critical component of Gaudí’s method was the use of plaster models — this workshop continues to produce those models so construction can continue.

Gaudí obsessed over this cathedral, and realizing it would never come close to completion during his time, labored with absolute dedication in the latter part of his life to drawing up plans, models, and details so that work could continue long after his death. Unfortunately, most of his work was destroyed during the revolution, but was painstakingly pieced together again when the political climate stabilized. These reconstructed plans direct the construction today.

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Modeled after the stone masons and their relatives who worked on the cathedral.

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This is the older end of the cathedral, completed while Gaudí was still alive. The stonework simultaneously evokes the heavy Gothic style and yet the proportions and naturalistic bent of the decorations also pull in the Catalan Modernisme movement.

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Sunrise filters through to backlight a sculpture in the eastern end of the Sagrada Família.

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I wish I had taken a wide angle lens, but alas, this was the best I could do.

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The columns are modeled after trees — they are absolutely stunning in person.

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