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Sagrada Familia and Sagrada Nusantara

Sagrada Familia and Sagrada Nusantara

by Cyrillus Harinowo

While admiring Sagrada Familia my mind jumped to the "Antoni Gaudi" who is currently building the Capital of the Archipelago of Indonesia (IKN), namely President Jokowi. Currently, we can see that the construction of IKN is progressing rapidly, having reached around 26%. It consists of various projects with different progress, from the Sepaku Dam to roads.

That afternoon, a group of us from the ASEAN Global Leadership Program (AGLP) did an interesting "study" by visiting an extraordinary work of architecture, the basilica (Catholic Church) located in one corner of Barcelona. The church was built in 1852 by architect Antoni Gaudi, and is called the Sagrada Familia. The building has a very massive character but is also very artistic.

This building has a very high historical value so that it eventually became a heritage building protected by UNESCO (United Nations).  It is therefore not surprising that Sagrada Familia was visited by not just hundreds but thousands of people that afternoon. The visitors paid an entrance fee, and the income from the sales became the main capital for the construction of the church.  The church was not built by the government or a company, but by donations from individuals who were moved to help complete the construction.

The construction of the front part of the church was completed by Gaudi, and some of his assistants. The building is very beautiful to look at and like the Borobudur Temple, features many interesting dioramas about the life of Jesus and his holy family. Indeed, Sagrada Familia means Holy Family, the family consisting of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. That's why the statues of Joseph and Mary were erected at the most strategic end.

At the time of construction, Antoni Gaudi had a master plan for the church as a whole and its parts. The drawings were neatly kept in the project office. Unfortunately, fortune cannot be won and misfortune cannot be denied, Antoni Gaudi had an accident and died in 1926, almost a hundred years ago. The death of Antoni Gaudi did not extinguish the spirit of his successors. The construction continued by utilizing the plan drawings that Gaudi had prepared.

However, something happened again that reminded us of the proverb that luck cannot be won and misfortune cannot be denied. The civil war in Spain that occurred at that time finally destroyed the drawings that Gaudi had prepared. This made his successors have to use the memories in their heads and then supplement them with their imaginations. This then shows in the difference between the outside and the inside of the work. Therefore, if we look at the church building from the outside and inside, each of them has extraordinary beauty.

When we visited the church building, the Church had been blessed by Pope Benedict VI so that it could finally be used as a place of worship. Previously, worship had to be done underground. If it is to be used, the church can accommodate thousands of people to praise God in that place. In the latest development, the church will actually be inaugurated on the centenary of the death of the planner, Antoni Gaudi, in 2026. However, the Covid pandemic has affected the completion schedule of the building.

While admiring the building, my mind didn't stop there. My memory then jumped to "Antoni Gaudi" who is currently building the Capital of the Archipelago of Indonesia (IKN), namely President Jokowi. From the recent developments, we can see that the construction of IKN is progressing rapidly, which at the time of writing this article, has reached around 26%. It consists of various projects that are progressing at different rates. For example, the Sepaku Dam has reached 80 to 90 percent. Likewise, roads are being built to complement the project.

At this point I sincerely hope that the first phase of construction of the National Capital City can be completed in time so that the Independence Ceremony on August 17, 2024 can be held in the new capital city. Henceforth, President Jokowi's assistants, like Antoni Gaudi's, will continue the construction journey. Thus, we truly hope that in time IKN will develop into the "Sagrada Nusantara", a new city that represents the new Indonesia. Hopefully.

Source: https://www.indonesiana.id/read/164677/sagrada-familia-dan-sagrada-nusantara