Podcasts History Witness History Sagrada Familia: Completing Gaudis vision

Sagrada Familia: Completing Gaudis vision

Published: June 25, 2024, 9 a.m.

When visionary architect Antoni Gaudi died unexpectedly in 1926, his followers were left with incredible plaster of Paris models showing how to complete his famous church, La Sagrada Familia.

The only problem was they were smashed \u201cto smithereens\u201d during the Spanish Civil War.

New Zealand architect Mark Burry was part of a small team trying to piece together Gaudi\u2019s vision for the Barcelona basilica.

He tells Vicky Farncombe about his first week in the job.

\u201cThere were literally thousands and thousands of pieces and lots of missing pieces.

\u201cBy day three, I was in despair.\u201d

He also shares the spine-tingling moment he heard music in the church for the first time.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the \u2018Indian Titanic\u2019 and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy\u2019s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and G\xf6rel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they\u2019ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America\u2019s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: La Sagrada Familia. Credit: Getty Images)