The Nativity façade, located in the east, on Carrer de la Marina, is on the transept
of the Temple. It explains the birth of Jesus, meaning the incarnation of the
Son of God, and expresses the “joy and hope of life”. This is why Gaudí wanted
the whole façade to be an exultation of divine creation, of all living beings in nature. Construction began while Gaudí was alive and, although he only lived to
see the bell tower of Saint Barnabas completed in 1925 (the other three,
dedicated to the apostles Simon, Jude Thaddeus and Matthias, were completed
in 1930), he left strict instructions on how to proceed. This façade is, as
we’ve said, a celebration of the joy of life
and the splendour of nature. This is why it is full of representations of animals
(scallops, hens, various birds, ducks, eagles, etc.) and plants (roses, almond
trees, cherry trees, lilies, passion flowers, etc.) celebrating and praising the birth of Jesus