Kunstpause #7 Wrapped Apostle

The sculpture depicts the Apostle Peter, wrapped in a sheet (metaphor of denial) after he denied knowledge of Jesus three times.

The sculptor, Josep Maria Subirachs, began work on the Passion Facade in 1987 after he studied Gaudi’s notes and plans for a year. The various scenes and details of the façade aimed to give a rigid, angular form to provoke a dramatic effect. Gaudí intended for this façade to strike fear into the onlooker. He wanted to “break” arcs and “cut” columns, and to use the effect of chiaroscuro (dark angular shadows contrasted by harsh rigid light) to further show the severity and brutality of Christ’s sacrifice.”