|
JOIN OUR CLUB!!! Register here as a new member if you want to be advised by e-mail on new updates, and take your FREE WELCOME GIFTS. |
Bellesguard (1901-1908)
We also find at Bellesguard various solutions in wrought iron as are the grates of some of the windows and balconies, and the tympanum of the front gate, in which one can read the principle of Ave María ("Ave María Puríssima, sens pecat fou concebuda," that is, "Hail María - the extremely pure - born without sin"). Above the corner left at the left of the front door stands a 33-meter-high needle qhich supports a Gaudinian cross with four arms pointing towards the four cardinal points. Beneath the cross, one can appreciate the "señera" (flag of Catalonia), realized in a mosaic of small pieces of glass, and a crown, in memory of King Martí l'Humá. Permission for construction was granted on the 25th of October, 1901, and Gaudí's last intervention there was in 1908, when a viaduct was constructed above Torrente de Betlem, veering away from the road and towards the cemetary which passes by the estate. This viaduct is formed by a group of large, inclined columns - dressed in stone - which recall those of the viaducts of Park Güell, which was being constructed during the same time period. Throughout the 20th Century, the house has had many different owners and has been a residence and a clinic. Since 1969, Bellesguard has been considered a National Patrimony of Historic-Artistic Interest. Now, the house is open to visits, but only in the gardens and with much respect since it is now a private residence.
|