Chartres Cathedral, Gaudí and the Sagrada Família

Chartres Cathedral and the Sagrada Familia are emanations of the same idea: celestial Jerusalem. There are deep similarities between the two temples, with intrinsic messages that are usually ignored. Gaudí was inspired by Chartres Cathedral to design and build the Sagrada Família. He and the Maitre de Chartes were two architects working in the same artistic and spiritual tradition, separated by six centuries.

Antoni Gaudí believed that the modern basilica should be made with the arts of contemporary men and not rely on the language of Gothic art, typical of the Middle Ages. The comparison between the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's magnum opus, and Notre-Dame de Chartres, queen of the Gothic cathedrals, reveals the foundation of Gaudí’s architectural revolution in the use of catenary arches and extended undulating surfaces, which completely modify the mechanical structure of the Gothic style.

Fourteen original photographs illustrate the text.