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6. Full Text of Jujol's Own Writings Cited in the Present Work

On the First Church of Vistabella

More than a hundred years after the founding of the village, Vistabella built its own school. It was to meet a practical need. But a more important undertaking remains: a church has still not been built!

Today, the opportunity to build the first church of a village is rarely given. It is not uncommon to relocate or renovate existing ones. Building a new church has already become a thing of the past.

Building a church is the work of angels and proceeds from the vision of the prophets. (Zechariah 2) For this reason, it is an immense joy for the good people of Vistabella to join their forces for such an undertaking. The same is true of Pere Mallafré, owner of the land and promoter of the project, and of the priest Joan Llobet, parish priest of La Secuita who has jurisdiction over Vistabella and principal supporter of the initiative. Like a father and sons in harmonious accord, the priest made them cooperate with one another, led them before the bishop, endeavoured as far as possible to remove animosities, and himself participated not only with financial support but also in the construction work. It was as if he were at once priest and workman. (I myself saw the priest pulling on a rope passed through a pulley to hoist heavy planks.) He was truly a holy man.

When the villagers said to Mallafré: 'You must build us a church', he replied wisely: 'Even if I could build a church, I would not be the one to build it alone. To be more precise, building a church is the mission of the entire community. I desire that everyone cooperate.'

The same applied when Mr. Mallafré sought an architect, and it is also the reason why I was chosen. The necessary plans were drawn up with foresight for all phases of the work, at least insofar as it was foreseeable. And an excellent builder was found. We were as if abandoned in darkness, until the will of the Lord Jesus sent this person to us. This is Josep Bruells and his son Romà. It may be said that they fulfilled their work to perfection.

The village inhabitants contributed directly with their labour to the construction. Working by hand on their labour days, pushing wheelbarrows, the people of Vistabella earned the reputation of being devout and harmonious persons.

The owner of the Mas de Mescader, a piece of land nearby at the same level as the building site, donated to us in great quantity stones of the size we needed. By transporting those stones and building the structure, construction was made easier. The stones that are always found when tilling the soil in the vineyards were excavated and piled on the ground to make retaining walls, becoming magnificent dry-stone vaults called barraques, used as storehouses. They are limestone stones which, upon being extracted from the earth, do not form part of larger rock strata, but each one, when broken, reveals a pattern of concentric circles in thin layers. They are generally flat, with length and breadth greater than their thickness. We used them as bricks, which allowed a considerable reduction in the cost of walls, arches, arrow-slits, drains, gargoyles, and lintels over small spaces.

At one spot on the building site, the bedrock that lies beneath the plain of Tarragona appeared unexpectedly, almost at the level of the surface. The will of the Lord chose this buried summit. We were able to use it as the foundation of the church.

The laying of the first stone received from heaven a moving simplicity. Under the dome of the sun, in the midst of a plain of absolute silence, the bishop vested in his vestments, accompanied by the necessary retinue, with the missal in one hand and a sprig of mint in the other, besought divine blessing upon this small stone fortress, and then raised a prayer to the heart of the Son of God.

In medieval churches, the exterior appearance of the building conforms to the outcome of its structure, and the whole is raised by giving each element the best possible form. In this case, the walls of the church were built with brick and lime mortar. In such places clay was not normally used, so there was no risk of cracking and a robust appearance was maintained. The vaults were made with thin hollow brick, and the pillars with ordinary brick. For the stained glass windows, transparent stone was used — alabastrine gypsum from Sariñena.

The church has a square plan and four pillars from which arches spring. These resembled palm branches. These arches support the stepped arches that rise and transmit the forces to the ground, without recourse to the adjusting devices commonly employed, such as flying buttresses or pinnacles. Seen in plan, the arches define principally the square space, but also generate several triangular spaces. Since the arches do not interrupt the surface of the vaults, the smooth surface receptive to decoration is not excessively fragmented, except insofar as it requires a great many auxiliary elements.

Gothic architecture is clearly a specialisation arising from the organisation and systematisation of Byzantine architecture. From what I have learnt, and from what I have come to confirm increasingly by visiting numerous churches, the Christian architecture of Byzantine style constitutes the root of the genealogical tree, from which Romanesque and Gothic branched and flourished.

By the grace of God we have been able to bring this small work to a magnificent conclusion. The smooth surface of the vaults offers a space adorned with simple yet vivid colours painted in lime wash. Upon it are written the words Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto (Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), and angels flying among the stars as if to keep watch over them.

So as not to bore the reader, I shall not describe the construction process in detail, but the church has a nave and three chapels added to the high altar; in the side aisles there are two confessionals, a sacristy, a storeroom, and a lavatory. The priest's room will shortly be built above the sacristy.

The roof covering is double. The first includes the vault and fulfils the dual function of supporting what rests upon it and of enclosing the interior space beneath. The second is made of tiles and is laid over the first. Its function is to protect against cold and damp, to repel rain, and to be directly exposed to changes in temperature. Between the two there is an air chamber that acts as an insulating layer. Thus, unlike what occurred in the beautiful cathedral of Barcelona, saltpetre will not destroy the painting nor rust the vaults. In the cathedral of Barcelona, while the second roof covering was awaited, the magnificent foliage circle surrounding the keystone of the main vault was lost.

Since to describe the entire building would be too extensive, I shall refer to the highest vault, which supports the bell tower situated at the centre of the rectangular church. It is formed by two very sharply pointed triangular walls converging beneath a stone cross at great height. In an unexpected place above a carob tree, against the background of the splendid sky of Tarragona — the most blue and beautiful in Catalonia, it is said — the bell tower of this small new church, consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Christ, may be seen.

The church has been built, and in it prayers will be raised for some time to the Sacred Heart of the sacrificed Lord.

Always, the heart of the unbeliever is conquered by faith.

On the Fashion Pavilion of the Universal Exposition

The block where the Palace of Clothing is situated in the present Universal Exposition of Barcelona is surrounded by the Avenida Reina María Cristina, the Plaza de España, the Avenida de Las Corts, the Calle México, and a small piece of land separating it from the Glass Factory. This factory was situated within the Exposition area although in principle it had no connection with it whatsoever. The Palace of Clothing was originally intended to be built for a complex, elevated, and interesting purpose: facilities for pedagogy, hygiene, and society.

The area of the site is approximately 6,000 square metres and the budget 800,000 pesetas.

The project was entrusted to Josep Maria Jujol and Andrés Calzada, both professors at the Barcelona School of Architecture.

In order to take advantage of the exceptional irregularity of the site, with its asymmetrical L-shaped form and its imprecise and varied angles, a bold and ingenious solution was required.

For this reason the building consists of two large halls, each with an open-air circular amphitheatre. The larger hall has tiers at both ends, and the smaller one at the centre. These halls communicate with an intermediate circular room crowned by a dome, intercalated between the circular tiers. *The tiers were the extension of the arcaded galleries of the Paseo de España, which has towers at both ends. The roof coverings of the large hall and the pointed dome were of timber and of cylindrical section. The dome was 13 m in diameter and above the upper rotunda rose another, smaller dome. The large halls of this building faced the Plaza de les Catalanes and the Plaza de México, towards which extended charming terraces with pergolas covered with beautiful floral perforated patterns in tiles.

What made the work yet more difficult was that on this irregularly shaped site there was a level difference of 5 m from one end to the other. It was therefore necessary to excavate a pit and build large arches for the foundation. In addition to the usual offices, a large site hut had to be provided, and material depots arranged along the Plaza de les Catalanes and the Plaza de México.

Due to the polygonal form of the site and the large rear setback on the side of the elongated parcel mentioned above, this building had a greater façade length in relation to its interior area. As a consequence, the cost of these extremely long walls reduced the budget available for the other elements.

For all these reasons, the architectural expression of this building turned out bold and original. The walls were perforated and tie-rods were arranged to connect both sides. The roof covering, as already mentioned, was of timber, supported likewise by timber beams. This timber structure was not attempted to be concealed; rather, it was used as a support to decorate the building with lattice-form panels. The panels are painted in units larger than one would expect in a building of such sober construction. The main hall had an exit to the roof terrace. The main hall was also consecrated to pedagogy, and beneath the arch there was a large circular amphitheatre evoking the Roman basilicas. Inside there was a raised medallion bearing the image of Jesus Christ, the Teacher of teachers. Christ extends his right hand and with his left shows an open Gospel towards the spectator. The fresco of Christ holding the Gospel with the words Ego Sum Lux Mundi (I am the Light of the World) is represented in the traditional Pantocrator style. This mural was executed by the present author.

In the tiers of each portico, bronze sculptures were placed. Pedagogy was symbolised by the figure of a venerable old man, the image of Saint Joseph Calasanz (an illustrious Aragonese educator), teaching a child to read and write. Both are dressed in Roman costume. The child wears the bulla aurea, the gold amulet, hung around his neck — the attire proper to children of that era — and his master wears a tunic and toga. Another sculpture held a spear and a shield and embodied the Law, the common foundation of social organisation. (Thus the original purpose of this building was indicated.) The figure of Justice, an enlargement of a classical model, was executed by the sculptor Viladomat; and the figure of Pedagogy-Didactics was executed by the sculptor Salvador Martorell from a sketch drawn by the architect. These two sculptures were 5 m in height and rested on pedestals of 1.5 m. On each pedestal were engraved DOCET (Teaching) and JUS (Law) respectively.

Along the wall extending behind the colonnaded portico, figures of vivid tones were represented in a majestic blue band flanked by a phosphorescent white band, expressing pedagogy, hygiene, and social organisation. Sentences in Greek and Latin with the meaning of 'never put into practice' were added. And since the name of the building changed successively, the function of the building was not engraved in the frieze above the columns. (Originally it was intended for pedagogy, hygiene, and social organisation; later for labour; and finally for clothing.)

By virtue of the prior agreement between the designers and in order to achieve stylistic harmony with the building situated opposite the palace, the Tuscan or Roman Doric order was adopted as the architectural style.

The surface of the exterior walls was to be adorned with charming and ingenious images in stucco. The towers were also decorated with an imposing group of sculptures, and on them were placed the city coat of arms (on the left) and the national coat of arms (on the right).

The coat of arms of Barcelona was conceived as a circular shield in the Roman manner. The CRIPEUS (crested helmet), the LORICA (breastplate), the lion's skin, the CLAVA (club): all of these are symbols of Hercules, alluding to the legendary founding of our beloved city by Hercules. The coat of arms of Spain was crowned by lions and the Cross of Saint Andrew in X-form representing its territories. (It is said that in Hebrew Andrew means the strongest — Fortissimus in Latin — and alongside the lion it also appeared on ancient military standards.) To express the passage of time through the Strait of Gibraltar both before and after the discovery of the New World by Columbus, in the scrolling banderoles of the truncated pyramidal pinnacles at the angles of the tower entablatures were inscribed both the motto NON PLUS ULTRA (It is not possible to go further) and the motto PLUS ULTRA (Go further).

It is difficult to judge whether our building lost value with the reduction of sculpture relative to the original plan. It is also difficult to mention the great and beautiful pinnacle crowned by a lamp that was intended to rise above the hall, as well as the fact that the cross-shaped lamp of the dome casting beams of light in various directions — symbolising the function of education and the Light of the World (LUX MUNDI) cited — was left unrealised.

The characteristic plan arrangement of a series of circles framed by straight lines generates triangular spaces. In these (invisible to visitors of the building) the necessary technical service spaces were housed (water tank, luggage room accessible from the portico, electrical room, staircase to the roof terrace, telephone room, etc.).

Pictorial decoration took the place of mouldings and capitals. The colours of the Greek frieze were replaced by vivid tones. These will draw the spectator's gaze towards certain points and give it pleasure.

The portico produced a very enchanting effect at night. Numerous lights enhanced the bands of vivid colours. The figures were up to 4 m in height. And the deep concavities of the semi-vaults inside the circular tiers each covered their double-leaf doors. Between these and the balustrade of the portico the two sculptures mentioned above were installed. And against this classical and majestic background, the colonnade of 11 m in height rose casting long shadows.

There is clearly an optimal vantage point from which to view this building. One of them is the intersection of the Avenida de Las Corts with the Calle Castillejos. The imposing accumulation of the various parts with the dome and the pergola of the terrace in the background gives an idea of the quality of the building. It was more advanced in concept than in actuality. From the entrance of the Exposition, which stood opposite this building, the palace presents (with all due proportion) an appearance similar to Bernini's Colonnade. (I refer, with all respect, to its relationship with the famous Piazza di San Pietro in Rome; without this implying, of course, any equivalence.) A similar impression is also obtained from the oblique perspective seen from the Avenida Reina María Cristina. The lateral entrance in the foreground and the colonnade giving a foreshortened effect to the concave curve of the building in the direction of the towers of Barcelona and España, the tension of the parallel perimeters of the entablature in the background, and in contrast, the lines of the vertical entasis of the columns: all of this creates a similar impression also in the perspective viewed from the Avenida Reina María Cristina.

Inside, looking from one end of the hall through the rotunda towards the opposite end, a beautiful panorama unfolds.

As a result of this 'brilliant plan solution', an official communication from the Technical Directorate of the Exposition commends the skilful arrangement of the building's floor plan.

Like many other pavilions, this building was conceived as a temporary structure. For this reason, although the City Council acknowledged it as a masterpiece, it was destined to be demolished. However, if the roof covering were repaired, it could remain standing indefinitely. If it could be kept standing, this palace would be of great use for conferences, fine arts, and other small exhibitions, celebrations, and multiple purposes. For the entrance of this building gives directly onto the Plaza de España and the size of the interior halls is appropriate.

Finally, the actual construction is based on the second design. The first was essentially identical to the second, but superior in magnificence and originality.

On the Monumental Fountain of the Plaza de España

The plan is conceived from an equilateral triangle. For only this form allows each side, or each vertex, to face the principal streets that converge at and pass through the square. The centre of this monument is situated at the intersection of the axes of the Avenida de Las Corts and the Avenida del Paralelo. (Only the axis of the latter avenue is displaced by 50 cm.)

The overall composition is as follows. The large central monument is supported by three groups of monuments surrounding it. At the large chamfered corners are situated respective roofed public fountains. *The pedestal of curved triangular section has a base with a concave face. The small monument has its centre on the axis of the lateral road of the Avenida de Las Corts. The central one, for its part, commands the main carriageway of the street.

The monumental composition of this fountain is contained within a circle of 40 m in diameter. Around it there is a promenade in the form of a crown of 70 m in diameter.

The central unit, whose weight was calculated at approximately 1,000 tonnes, is supported by a large reinforced concrete quadrilateral. This acts as a beam that transmits the loads over the Ferrocarrils Catalans station, which is situated directly beneath the centre of the square.

Upon the large base, finished in the manner of an ancient wall and crowned by a powerful cornice, a smaller base supported the central monument. This was formed with the technique of rustic masonry, with the joints marked by deep cuts in the edges, and crowned by a prominent Roman cornice.

Beneath the surface of the immense triangular base are situated, following its form, three pools, each of which represents the three seas surrounding Spain. Above the powerful Mediterranean Sea, a sturdy man is surrounded by youths representing the Ebro and its tributaries. The Ebro is the river that flows into the Mediterranean, and the Roman penetration into Spain was carried out along this river. Two older men accompanied by youthful tributaries embody the Tagus and the Guadalquivir, which flow into the Atlantic. And handsome youths represent the small rivers of northern Spain that flow into the Cantabrian Sea. These sculptures are 6 m in height. From amphoras and other accessories of the sculptural figures water flows, which is collected in three cascades and falls from the base to the triangular pools. The cascades covered the base and the foundation. Here the flow of the cascades gains impetus from the jet of water issuing from the mouths of enormous lizards, the work of the sculptor Llobet, and whilst the three pools are below, these streams spring diagonally to pour into the pools situated at a higher level. The flow of the fountains springing intertwined from six mouths produces in aggregate the effect of boldly supporting the six large semi-arches above the pools.

The three angles of the central unit are three composite columns of 11 m in height that contribute to supporting the entablature. These three columns represent the characteristic ideals of Spain: 'faith', 'art', and 'heroism'. Around them were banderoles with inscriptions. On each were engraved in their respective languages the names of various illustrious Spaniards: saints such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Teresa of Jesus, and great figures such as Ramon Llull, Gaudí, Cervantes, Camões, Queen Isabel the Catholic, Jaume I, and Columbus.

A hymn in praise of the Creator is inscribed together with the date of the Exposition. And the names of the rulers of the period were to be engraved as a bronze inscription in the frieze of the entablature of the central unit. Crowning the entire monument in the manner of a pediment, the central unit presents a circular drum housing an enormous bronze brazier supported by wrought-iron supports. This brazier was made to contain 3 cubic metres of firewood. The glowing red embers symbolised the enormous sacrifices Spain has made to spread civilisation throughout the world.

One may enter the interior of the monument. Visitors can comfortably ascend the interior and reach the void intended for the firewood. In the face of the base, six copper doors and some iron-grilled windows in the Roman manner open towards the hollow interior. In it there was a large machine room. In this ample triangular space of 50 m per side, three powerful groups of centrifugal pumps and engines of 240 horsepower are installed, providing the force necessary to raise the water to all the fountain outlets situated at the level of the sculptures. The water is sent upwards through an iron pipe of 70 cm in diameter raised directly on the axis of the monument, and is distributed to the necessary branches to reach each fountain.

Three small monuments are situated at each vertex of the triangle, with bronze sculptures according to the concept and theme imagined by the architect. These bronze sculptures are the work of the brothers Oslé, Miquel and Luciano, renowned sculptors, and represent respectively 'Navigation', 'Salubrity', and 'Wealth' — the gifts that water provides.

The promenade has a total width of 15 m and consists of three bands. The most important is the central band, which forms a crown around the monument and is at a higher level than the others. It is 10 m in width and is paved with Roman tesserae in black and yellow, with tritons mounted on sea horses and naiads. The outer band is intended for ordinary pedestrians, is 2 m in width, and is made of black basalt scattered with white and black marble to increase its durability. The innermost band, whose profile is determined by the form of the 'inner central crown' and the 'broken line of the pools', is at a lower level than the others, and in the centre of white marble are inlaid stars of black quartz extracted from the Tarragona coast. The entire monument is constructed in marble, partly polished. It was extracted principally in the province of Tarragona and in Girona. Granite from La Roca del Vallès and from the coastal area of the province of Barcelona (such as Cabrils) was also employed.

At the three angles of the base, ship prows sculpted in stone project from the base of the columns mentioned above. In groups of three, large bronze lanterns hang from these prows, and correspondingly lanterns also descend from the angles of the cornice of the central unit. It reaches a height of between 20 and 30 m including the firewood at the upper portion.

On the six stone slabs at the feet of the monument the initials S.P.Q.B. are engraved in capital letters, declaring that this building was erected by the legitimately established public authority — that is, the 'Senatus Populusque Barcinonensis' (the council or City Hall and the citizens of Barcelona, in collaboration or joint participation). In the sixteenth century, with the same intention, this beautiful motto expressing the desirable solidarity between the citizenry and the administration was also engraved on the door of the historic Hall of the Council of One Hundred, in the interior of the City Hall.

This monument was erected on the occasion of the Exposition to commemorate the event and to pay homage to Spain.

Twelve semicircular stone benches of 5 m in diameter are arranged on the aforementioned promenade at the edge of the central crown with Roman mosaic, and other circular benches of Italian marble are placed at the curved inner corners of the promenade. Only the latter benches were built at a later stage.

From the centre of each shell decorated with elegant mouldings that forms the basins of the pools there emerges a pedestal above the blue water. And on these pedestals other bronze sculptures of Virgilian theme designed and named by Jujol were intended to be placed. Each figure bears the title Pax campus colit (Peace tills the fields), Bucolica poessis (Bucolic poetry), and Vindemiae gaudia (The joy of the harvest), with their execution entrusted to the sculptors Llobet, Ridaura, and Martorell.