Church of Colònia Güell

Church of Colònia Güell tickets: which one to buy

The Crypt of Colònia Güell stands in the industrial colony of Colònia Güell, in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, about twenty kilometres south-west of Barcelona, and a ticket is required, covering the crypt, the interpretation centre and a walk through the colony, with an audio guide. It is one of Antoni Gaudí's most innovative works and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of Gaudí's works.

The colony is reached by the FGC train from Plaça d'Espanya in Barcelona, a journey of about twenty minutes, followed by a short walk. It is much less crowded than Gaudí's buildings in Barcelona, such as the Sagrada Família, and it gives an insight into how he developed his ideas. The crypt is still used as a parish church, and visiting pauses during masses. Combined tickets for the train and the crypt are sold at the FGC stations in Barcelona.

Visiting Church of Colònia Güell: what to see

The industrialist Eusebi Güell, Gaudí's patron, moved his textile factory from Barcelona to the countryside in 1890 and built a model colony for the workers, with houses, a school, a theatre and shops. He commissioned Gaudí to design a church for the colony, and Gaudí worked on it from 1898, spending ten years developing the design with a hanging model made of strings and weights, which showed the forces of the structure upside down, a method he later used for the Sagrada Família. Construction began in 1908, but only the crypt was completed, by 1914, when work stopped after Güell's family withdrew funding. The crypt is an extraordinary space, with leaning columns of basalt and brick, which look like tree trunks, a ceiling of brick vaults, stained glass windows shaped like butterfly wings, and benches designed by Gaudí.

The exterior blends with the pine trees on the hill. The crypt's columns are arranged irregularly, and some lean at sharp angles to support the vaults. The portico's ceiling is made of brick in a hyperbolic shape. The stained glass windows open like petals. The benches, designed by Gaudí, have curved backs. The interpretation centre displays a model of the church as Gaudí planned it, with towers and a dome. The colony's houses were designed by Gaudí's collaborators, including Francesc Berenguer. The textile factory's buildings, with their chimney, can be seen on the walk. The colony's cooperative and theatre show the social life of the workers.

Church of Colònia Güell opening hours and the best time to go

The crypt is open daily, with shorter hours on weekends and during masses on Sundays. It is rarely crowded, which makes it a pleasant contrast to the busy Gaudí sites in Barcelona. Summer is warm, and spring and autumn are pleasant. The colony's modernist houses and streets are best seen on a walk after visiting the crypt. Allow about an hour and a half for the crypt, the interpretation centre and the colony, and take the train back to Barcelona. Montserrat monastery, in the mountains west of Barcelona, can be combined on a day trip with Colònia Güell by car.