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Church of Colònia Güell
Crypt portion of the church
Location	Santa Coloma de Cervelló
Nearest city	Barcelona
Built	1898-1914
Architect	Antoni Guadí
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	(i)(ii)(iv)
Country	Spain

The Church of Colònia Güell (Catalan: Cripta de la Colònia Güell, IPA: [ˈkɾiptə ðə ɫə kuˈɫɔniə ˈɣweʎ]) is an unfinished work by Antoni Gaudí. It was built as a place of worship for the people on a hillside in a manufacturing suburb in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, near Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). Colònia Güell was the brainchild of Count Eusebi de Güell; who enlisted the help of architect Antoni Gaudí in 1898. However, work was not started until 1908, 10 years after commission. Gaudí was a famous architect, and rightfully so. The plan for the building consisted of constructing two naves, an upper and a lower, two towers, and one forty-meter-high central dome. In 1914, the Güell family halted construction due to the death of Count Güell. At the time, the lower nave was almost complete so between the years of 1915 and 1917, it was completed and readied for use.

The Church is one of the seven properties Gaudí built near Barcelona that are Unesco World Heritage Site. Collectively, these sites are known as the Works of Antoni Gaudí, and show his, "exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."

History

At the age of 28, the Church of Colònia Güell was one of several commissions Guadí received from Count Güell in the suburb of Santa Coloma de Cervelló.

Commission

Gaudí was a devout Roman Catholic who dedicated all of his spare time to helping out the church. He had a strong love for Catalonia and specifically Barcelona, his home town. Gaudí had several friends who saw and understood his architectural visions, one of which was Count Eusebi de Güell. Güell also had a strong sense of nationality, and liked Gaudí's architectural style and meanings. Güell commissioned Guadí for many works throughout his life, including Palau Güell, Park Güell, and finally, the Church.

Planning

To start the designing process of the church, Guadí used his very unique process of gravity and rope, known as a funicular system. As seen in the planning of La Sagrada Familia, Guadí hung hemp ropes attached to lead-filled sacks from the ceiling. By doing this, it allowed him to reproduce the curves of the church at a 1:10 scale. Guadí also used canvas sheets to imitate the vaults and walls of the structure. By weighing down the ropes with lead-filled sacks, it allowed him to see the loads that would be exerted on the actual structure. To turn this hanging structure into his actual design, Guadí photographed his model, flipped the image, and traced over it while adding some ornament and design. All that remains of the model for Church of Colònia Güell is an image in a book written by architect Josep Francesc Ráfols i Fontanals.

The Crypt

The crypt portion of the church, constructed from 1908 to 1915, was the only segment of the church that was fully completed. It was built partially below ground, due to being on a hillside, and it was designed so that it would feel like it belonged in the surrounding nature. There are pillars on the exterior of the crypt, made of many bricks, while others were made of a solid block of stone. The roof of the structure has a geometric shape that is morphed by the connecting of the various pillars.

Recent history

In 2000, local architects set about repairing the crypt. This took away aspects of the unfinished nature of the buildings. However, it did present a more tourist-friendly structure, and now visitors can stand on the roof, which would have been the church floor.