On Monday, a huge 12-pointed star was installed on one of the main towers of the Sagrada Familia. This is a masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí and has been in progress since 1882.
However, this star is unlikely to make the local residents feel better, their lives have been ruined by the city’s largest tourist attraction for many years. Before the pandemic Brings 60,000 tourists to the area every day.
The residents’ association accused the religious foundation responsible for the cathedral of being overbearing in dealing with them. The spokespersons of the two local groups, Joan Itxaso and Salvador Barroso, were Barcelona Skyline.
Barroso described the 5.5-ton, 7-meter-long star as “aesthetically terrifying.”It will light up on December 8th Spain Celebrate the impeccable concept and the 800 windows of the tower.
However, their main concern is that the foundation will continue its plan to build a huge staircase leading to the unfinished main entrance of the cathedral. If fully realized, it will require the demolition of three complete city blocks and the expulsion of approximately 1,000 families. And business.
Earlier this month, the Itxaso Association called for a cessation of all work on the site until a tripartite meeting between residents, the foundation and the city council finalizes future construction plans. Barroso’s team is taking legal action against the proposed staircase.
Xavier Martinez, the director-general of the foundation, said that they are open to the staircase proposal, but added that it is up to the city council to decide whether to include it in the new city plan.
So far, the city council has been reluctant to make a decision, and with more than a year before the election, it may be reluctant to agree to a plan involving the demolition of dozens of houses.
Barroso claimed that this staircase was designed by Gaudí’s disciples after his death and was not part of Gaudí’s original plan, which was destroyed by anarchists when the Spanish Civil War broke out.
Famous local architects stated that recent works cannot be regarded as Gaudí’s works. UNESCO agrees with this view, and its national heritage list only covers part of the cathedral completed during the architect’s lifetime.
Martinez disagreed. “We have no doubt that what we are building is Gaudí’s work,” he said.
Since work started 139 years ago, the Sagrada Familia had become synonymous with unfinished business, and the completion date of 2026 was abandoned due to the pandemic. Martinez was unwilling to speculate on the new completion date.
He said that it was not until 2010, the year when Pope Benedict XVI dedicated to the cathedral, that they realized that, thanks to tourism, they might finally have the resources to do the job, but that was in a pandemic. Before.
At the last press conference in 2019, the foundation announced that its revenues for 2018 and 2019 were 80 million euros (67 million pounds) and 100 million euros, of which approximately 110 million euros were used for construction projects.
The meeting was told that the remaining 70 million euros had been put on hold “in case the number of tourists fell.”
Therefore, at the beginning of the pandemic, the foundation announced that all work except Maria Tower will be suspended until 2024, and most employees will be on vacation until further notice, which has caused concern.
Martinez said that 70 million euros of “rainy days” funds are needed to cover part of the wages that are not covered by the Covid vacation plan, as well as site security and other expenses, and that the work cannot be resumed with only a quarter of the number of visitors left. The numbers for 2019.
Barroso said: “They hold a press conference every year to explain how much revenue they have received and how they plan to spend it, but since there are no costs, it is impossible to verify these figures.”
In the Eixample neighbourhood of Barcelona. Photo: Orbon Alija/Getty Images
According to an agreement signed between the Spanish government and the Vatican in 1979, the foundation does not need to publish accounts or pay taxes. It only needs to declare the income of the gift shop, and the income of tourists (4.7 million, an average of 15 euros per person in 2019) is considered as a donation.
“We submit the accounts to [Catholic] Martínez said that as required by our law, I cannot allow the public to access these accounts,” he added, adding that he doubts whether greater transparency will satisfy critics. The church is also not obliged to disclose its accounts.
At the same time, the staircase problem remains unresolved. Martinez said that they are happy to discuss issues with residents “and find the best solution for everyone”, but this is easier said than done.
“We must find solutions that meet the needs of cities, not solutions that meet basic needs,” Itxaso said.
The Archbishop of Barcelona, Joan Josep Omella, described the installation dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the top of the tower as “a historic moment after a year of darkness and tireless struggle.”
