EAE News
EAE students Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia
27 de November de 2018
The School's cultural visits help students to connect to the city that they are living in during their Master programs. In this case, they had the chance to look around one of Barcelona most emblematic landmarks, the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece.
This temple is in a constant state of transformation and work, which is expected to finish in 2026, to coincide with the centenary of Gaudí's death, according to the guide on our cultural tour. When completed, it will have a total of 18 towers: four on each portal to make a total of 12 representing the Apostles, the four above the transept representing the Evangelists, one above the apse dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the domed central tower in honour of Jesus Christ, which will reach a height of 172.5 metres.
The EAE students were keen to find out more about this lavish monument. "I came years ago and looked around the outside. I know that it is one of Barcelona most iconic landmarks, so I decided that I had to come and see the inside. I want to make the most of all the city's cultural delights", explained Camilo Valdés, a student on the Part-Time MBA. This was his first visit with the School and he plans to take part in many more to get to know all the corners of the city better. With respect to the Master, Camilo explained that he has been studying for a month and, so far, he is really enjoying the experience. He thinks the teachers are excellent and the contents are extremely interesting.
During EAE's guided cultural tour, the students marvelled at the new exterior work that has been progressing steadily over the years However, it was the temple's impressive interior, with all its colours and homages to nature that really left everybody speechless. The guide explained that the Sagrada Familia is the fullest expression of Gaudí's art. He worked in the temple throughout most of his professional life, particularly in the later years of his career, when her reached the culmination of his naturalistic style.
In Gaudí's architecture, we can see the perfect harmony he achieved in the interrelation between the structural and ornamental elements, the practical and the aesthetic, function and form, content and container, managing to integrate all artforms in a single, logical structure. For Elina Logvina, a Russian student taking the Master in Project Management, this was her first visit with EAE. She explained that, although she had heard a lot about the temple, she had never seen it and thinks it is amazing.
For Ángeles Sedano, an Argentina student on the Master in Online Marketing and Digital Commerce, this is his first time in Barcelona. "I am interested in the city's architecture and especially the work of Gaudí". He took part in the welcome brunch organized by the School and, as he is currently still looking for work, he takes advantage of his free time to come on visits like this one.
On the tour, the students visited the crypt, the apse and part of the Nativity façade, of which Gaudí only lived to see the Saint Barnabas tower completed. The work done by the architect himself, namely the Nativity façade and the crypt, formed part of the 2005 UNESCO World Heritage Site declaration for the architect's works as a whole. Moreover, since 2007, it has been named as one of the Twelve Treasures of Spain and one of the Seven Wonders of Catalonia.
An Argentinian student on the Master in Marketing and Commercial Management, Ximena Dilandro came to Barcelona on holiday in 2012. "I wanted to come back because they are making progress with the building every year. I was particularly interested to hear about Gaudí's story". This was her first cultural visit with EAE and she hopes to learn a lot more, both in terms of the city and on the Master. "We are about a month into the Master. It is fairly intense because it is Full Time. I love the relationship I have with my classmates because we come from lots of different countries". Ximena explained that they are now planning what to do to spend Christmas together, to share the special celebrations, especially as it is not long before the festive season gets under way.
In the case of Columbian student Juliana Escobar, she had already visited the outside of the Sagrada Familia, "but I did not have the chance to come in and see inside. I think that it is an excellent idea to come with a group from the university on visits like this". She is taking the Full-Time MBA and says that the Master is meeting her expectations so far.