In the spring of 1903 when Gaudí had already begun work on the Park Güell, Joan Artigas, a textile manufacturer, ask the architect to make the design for his gardens in a parcel that he had covering a part of the upper Llobregat River. The passage of time and neglect of the men left this Gaudí’s fingerprint forgotten and it was not until 1971 when a correspondent for the newspaper “El Correo Catalan” discovered the existence of the gardens designed by Gaudi, after talking with someone that worked on the project. Gaudí designed the garden (very similar to the Park Guell, but on a smaller scale) but not personally directed the work. The works took place between 1905 and 1906. These Gardens are located at La Pobla de Lillet, they are owned by the municipality and are open to the public.

Gaudi loved puzzles and symbolism, hiding symbols in the decoration of the Sagrada Familia. Here, we have a look at some sculptures of animals on the Sagrada Familia and their hidden meaning.

The peacock

It is the ultimate symbol of vanity and pride, of how fragile the earthly appearances are as well as the essence of power and royalty. A beautiful animal whose only purpose in life is to show off, always a slave to its external physical and the adulation of the others. Located in the Charity Portal (Portal de la Caridad)

The pelican

The pelican represents for Christians the sacrifice for others. The legends says that the pelicans, in case of need, hurt his chest to his own blood feeding their young, so it becomes the symbol of the Christ-Eucharist. In the Sagrada Familia the pelican is located in the Facade of the Nativity (Fachada del Nacimiento) at the cypress tree. The original piece of alabaster is now in the museum as it was in a poor condition and had to be replaced by a marble copy. 

The Pigeon

It is the symbol of peace and hope. It is the personification of the Holy Spirit, as mentioned in the Scriptures, and it appears on the Representations of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are also social animals who do not fear the presence of man and live with him. In the Sagrada Familia we find them in the cypress tree of the Nativity Façade (Fachada del Nacimiento).

The promoter of the Sagrada Famila construction was Bocabella i Verdaguer Josep Maria, a highly educated bookseller who in 1866 founded "The Spiritual Association of Devotees of San Jose" an entity which aimed to support the dissemination of Catholicism 
The activity Josep Maria Bocabella developed to promote his idea led him in 1872 on a visit to the Holy Father in Rome to offer on behalf of the Association a silver image of the Holy Family. He visited the town of Loreto, where the sight of its church inspired him. He was also the one who found the plot of 12.800m2 and bought it for a price of 1.034 Euros.

The works started in 1882 with the architect F. Villar y Lozano as the head of the project but soon he was replaced as some conflicts between him and Bocabella arose. Gaudi, who was then only 31 years old, accepted to be in charge of this project that he started in 1883 with the crypt that was already begun, adding a moat around so it could have direct light and natural ventilation. Gaudí also modified the capitals, under dispute with Villar. All this after abandoning his initial idea of building the temple diagonally on the plot, which was impossible because the vault was already started.