lower level passion facade

The lower level begins on the left with the Last Supper of Jesus and the Apostles. At the foot you can read: “What you are going to do, do it quickly”, in reference to the imminent betrayal of Judas. Following the Gethsemane Gate, we find the scene of Peter and the Soldiers and the Kiss of Judas. Observe that behind the figure of Judas appears the snake, symbol of the devil and a magic square.

To the right of the central doors we will see the Denial of Peter. The three women and the rooster represent the three times he denied Christ before sunrise. Furthermore, Pedro is wrapped in a sheet, a symbol of cowardice. The last scenes on the lower level correspond to Ecce Homo and the Judgment of Christ. Jesus, already wearing the crown of thorns, is presented before a doubtful Pontius Pilate and is guarded by two Roman soldiers. Look at their hooves. They are an evocation by Subirachs of the chimneys of the Milá house, as a tribute from the sculptor to Gaudí, although it will not be the only one we see. At the feet of the Nazarene the stone is cracked, representing the imminent fracture of the World before the condemnation of the son of God. A column with the inscription “Tiberius Emperor of Rome” on which the imperial eagle rests, acts as a separation from the following scene, in which Pontius Pilate washes his hands assisted by three servants. We observe a figure walking away, it is Procula, the wife of the Roman Governor, who after failing in her attempt to intercede for the prisoner, leaves dejected.