A definitive and illuminating biography of one of the most famous ndash; and most famously unfinished ndash; buildings in the world; the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona. Its scaffolding-cloaked spires reach up to the heavens; dominating the Barcelona skyline and drawing in millions of visitors every year. What seduces our attention is perhaps a combination: not only its almost megalomaniac ambition and architectural extravagance but the sheer longevity of its construction. Its creator; Antoni Gaudiacute;; Gods Architect; saw the first stone laid on 19 March 1882 and yet it is unlikely to be completed until 2026 at the very earliest. It has survived two World Wars; the ravages of the Spanish Civil War and the Hunger Years of Francos rule. It has defied the critics; the penny-pinching accountants; the conservative town-planners and the slaves to sterile modernism to witness the most momentous changes in society and history. The Sagrada Familia explores the evolution of this remarkable building; working through the decades right up to the present day before looking beyond to the final stretch of its construction. It is at once a guidebook and a chronological history; and a moving and compelling study of mans aspiration towards the divine. Rich in detail; vast in scope; this is a revelatory and authoritative study of a building and its place in history and the genius that created it.
2016-11-17 2016-11-17File Name: B01N0EYJJ3
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