Sagrada Familia: Completing Gaudi’s vision
Witness History
BBC
4.4 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 25 June 2024
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When visionary architect Antoni Gaudi died unexpectedly in 1926, his followers were left with incredible plaster of Paris models showing how to complete his famous church, La Sagrada Familia.
The only problem was they were smashed “to smithereens” during the Spanish Civil War.
New Zealand architect Mark Burry was part of a small team trying to piece together Gaudi’s vision for the Barcelona basilica.
He tells Vicky Farncombe about his first week in the job.
“There were literally thousands and thousands of pieces and lots of missing pieces.
“By day three, I was in despair.”
He also shares the spine-tingling moment he heard music in the church for the first time.
(Photo: La Sagrada Familia. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:34.0 | Hi, you're listening to the Witness History Podcast |
| 0:40.0 | from the BBC World Service |
| 0:42.0 | with me Vicky Vancombe. |
| 0:44.0 | This is a story about a visionary designer, |
| 0:48.0 | an iconic church, and a small band of architects |
| 0:52.0 | attempting to finish the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle. |
| 0:55.6 | You can't help but be awed by its majesty, its size and its slight cookiness. It's got a futuristic feel in a 70s way. |
| 1:05.6 | It's like the first cathedral on Mars. |
| 1:08.8 | The BBC presenter Steve Smith |
| 1:11.6 | describing Barcelona's famous church |
| 1:14.4 | L a Sagrada Familia. When its genius architect |
| 1:18.2 | Antoni Gaudi died unexpectedly in 1926, his followers were left with incredible plaster of Paris |
... |
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