The Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor (Catalan pronunciation:[səˈɣɾatˈkɔɾ]; English: Expiatory Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located on the summit of Mount Tibidabo in Barcelona, Catalonia. The building is the work of the Catalan architect Enric Sagnier and was completed by his son Josep Maria Sagnier i Vidal. The construction of the church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, lasted from 1902 to 1961.
History
A model of the church
The idea of building a Catholic church on the summit of the Tibidabo emerged in the late 19th century amidst rumors about the construction of a Protestant church and a hotel-casino at that location. This motivated a "Board of Catholic Knights" to acquire the ownership of the field and give it to Saint John Bosco in 1886, when he was visiting Barcelona at the invitation of Dorotea de Chopitea, a great patron and promoter of the project. From this arose the idea of a building dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a dedication very popular at that time thanks to the impetus given by Pope Leo XIII, and following in line with the church built in Rome by Bosco himself (Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio) and the famous Sacré-Cœur in Paris.
In 1886 a neo-Gothichermitage was built, and two years later, for the Universal Exposition, the Vallvidrera road was urbanized and a pavilion of Mudejar inspiration was built beside the hermitage to serve as a viewing point (for the city below). However, the project to build the church suffered a significant delay mainly because of the development of a new project to build an astronomical observatory on the summit of Tibidabo, which was eventually constructed on a nearby hill (Fabra Observatory). Finally, on 28 December 1902, the first stone was placed in a ceremony presided by the Bishop of Barcelona, Salvador Casañas i Pagès.
The crypt was built between 1903 and 1911, and the main church was built between 1915 and 1951. The church was consecrated by Bishop Gregorio Modrego Casaus during the 35th Eucharistic Congress held in Barcelona in 1952. The towers were completed afterward, with work officially ending in 1961. On 29 October 1961 the church received the title of minor basilica from Pope John XXIII.
Exterior
Facade of the crypt
The external appearance of the church is of a Romanesque fortress of stone from Montjuïc (the crypt), topped by a monumental neo-Gothic church accessed by two grand outdoor stairways. The upper church has a central floor with an octagonal dome on eight columns. The dome is crowned with an image of the Sacred Heart; the original work was by Frederic Marès (destroyed in 1936) and replaced in 1950 with another by Josep Miret.
The upper church is square with three apses, a large central tower, and four lower towers marking the four corners of the square, and statues of the Twelve Apostles sculpted by Josep Miret. The main facade has three sections, the central wider, chaired by the figure of the Archangel Michael in the arch of the main entrance, and John Bosco in the pediment above. Over the left door is the statue of Teresa of Ávila and over the right, Marguerite Marie Alacoque. Above the door is an open gallery of arches with tracery.
The façade of the crypt has a richly decorated tympanum with sculptures by Alfons Juyol i Bach following the design of Eusebi Arnau. The sculptures represent the Virgin of Mercy, Saint George, and Saint James, the patron saints of Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain, respectively. The crypt facade consists of three semicircular arches on columns, inserted under a larger semicircular arch, originally decorated with a mosaic of the Holy Trinity by Daniel Zuloaga (destroyed in 1936). In 1955 it was redecorated by the Bru Workshop of Barcelona; the work depicts an allegory of the devotion of Spain, represented by its patron saints.
The church is crowned by the enormous bronze statue of the Sacred Heart made by Josep Miret in 1950. It replaced the original by Frederic Marès, which was made in 1935 and destroyed the following year as the Spanish Civil War began. The ascent from the crypt, passing through the church and ending at the sculpture, reflects the rise and the purification of the human condition by means of sacrifice and atonement.
From the crypt there is access to a chapel dedicated to the Perpetual Adoration, excavated into the mountain in the late 1940s, consisting of three naves divided by columns. The interior is decorated with marble, mosaics in the pavement, and paintings by Miquel Farré i Albagés in the vaults, made between 1947 and 1949.
Outside of the crypt, on either side of the main door, are two staircases leading to the level of the temple itself.
Gallery
Saint John Bosco during his visit to Barcelona in 1886.
The hermitage in 1902, before building the temple.
The hermitage today, integrated in the temple.
Bibliography
Modernisme I Modernistes. Barcelona: Lunwerg. 2001. ISBN84-7782-776-1.
Barjau, Santi (1992). Enric Sagnier (in Catalan). Barcelona: Labor. ISBN84-335-4802-6.
Barral i Altet, Xavier (1999). Art de Catalunya. Arquitectura religiosa moderna i contemporània (in Catalan). Barcelona: L'isard. ISBN84-89931-14-3.
Fontbona, Francesc; Miralles, Francesc (1985). Història de l'Art Català. Del modernisme al noucentisme (1888-1917) (in Catalan). Barcelona: Ed. 62. ISBN84-297-2282-3.
Lacuesta, Raquel (2006). Modernisme a L'entorn de Barcelona (in Catalan). Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona. ISBN84-9803-158-3.
Navascués Palacio, Pedro (1993). Summa Artis. Arquitectura Española, 1808-1914 (in Spanish). Cantoblanco (Madrid): Espasa Calpe. ISBN84-239-5477-3.
Permanyer, Lluís (1993). Barcelona modernista (in Catalan). Barcelona: Ed. Polígrafa. ISBN84-343-0723-5.
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