When talking about Copenhagen Cathedral I mentioned how few cathedrals really stick with you. Well, the Sagrada Família absolutely does.

Okay, so it’s technically not a cathedral. But that’s hardly the point. Antoni Gaudí left his mark all over Barcelona — seven of his buildings in the city are UNESCO World Heritage Sites — and he’s one of those sui generis artists whose style can’t really be categorized. He mostly, sort of, kinda fits within Art Nouveau, but all those melting waxwork forms and and shimmering columns of light really make his buildings something all their own.

That all comes together in his magnum opus. It seems almost unbelievable to look at, as if it’s sculpted out of mud and clay rather than built from stone. The spires have been compared to anthills or burning candles, and they feel organic, alive in a way that most stonework doesn’t. And inside is all light, intense shades of abstract color flooding the space from every direction.

All cathedrals are communal projects; this is probably the only one to feel so intensely personal despite that. Gaudí died shortly after construction was started, so he only ever got to see his masterpiece in his imagination. I am grateful the rest of us get a chance to see it for real.