Torres

The Temple towers were designed to be seen from afar, therefore, Gaudí simplified their construction and decoration as much as possible. With sharp and ascending shapes, they are topped by pinnacles of rich geometry and color, which give it an unmistakable beauty and personality. So that Catalonia was properly represented, Gaudí designed the 4 towers on each façade, inspired by the four red stripes of the Catalan flag.

Now look at the shape of these slender bell towers: The lower part is made up of 12 vertical stone ribs, whose purpose is to give them stability and make them more resistant to wind. The horizontal openings allow the diffusion to the wind of the sound that will be emitted by the 84 tubular bells that will resonate over Barcelona when the set is complete.

The pinnacles, the brightly colored Murano glass structures that top the towers, allude to the miter, ring, cross and crosier of the bishops. Spotlights will be installed in the central cavity that will project a beam of light outside.

When the temple is complete there will be 18 bell towers: twelve dedicated to the apostles, which in groups of 4 will crown each of the facades, four more on the body of the naves dedicated to the evangelists. These in turn will surround the large central dome dedicated to Jesus, which will reach 172 meters and will thus become one of the highest points in Barcelona. And finally the tower of the Virgin, which with its 125 meters will cover the apse.

After many economic and political vicissitudes, in 1925, the first tower, that of San Bernabé, was completed, the only one that Gaudí would see completed.

Towers of the Evangelists: These central domes, currently under construction, will rise to 135 meters high and will be topped with the symbol with which he has traditionally been represented: a lion in the case of Marcos, an angel in the case of Mateo, an eagle in Juan's and a bull in Lucas's, all of them works by the artist Xavier Medina Campeny.