As a high school graduation gift, my grandparents took me on a trip through the northwestern Mediterranean. Our first stop was Barcelona, Spain, home of La Sagrada Familia, one of my favorite works of architecture I’ve ever had the privilege of visiting. It’s still a work in progress, but it should be completed by about 2026.

The exterior is covered with highly intricate stonework depicting the life story of Jesus, with one side focusing on the Nativity and his birth, and the other side his crucifixion and death. I thought the crucifixion sculptures had an almost cartoonish quality to them, but it was clearly by intention rather than any shortcoming in skill.

As impressive as the exterior of the basilica is, the interior is really what made my jaw drop in awe. Columns taller than I’ve ever seen supported a ceiling of dizzying height, and as they climbed they branched out like trees into the ceiling. Adding to the foliage imagery, stone rings of leaves projected back down from the tops of the columns. It was my first time seeing stonework that looked like it could be alive.

It was mid morning when I visited, so the sun shone through the stained glass windows and cast vibrant colors on the floor. I had never seen such strong colors from stained glass. With the stained glass and tree like columns I almost felt like I was standing in a magical stone forest.

I find it difficult to be moved by non-musical works of art. La Sagrada Familia is one of the few exceptions. It is completely awe inspiring, and to this day I’ve never seen anything that matches it’s splendor.