Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Catalonia, Spain

Hyperbolic Paraboloid Stained-Glass Oculus and Trencadís Mosaic Gable Canopy of the Crypt of Colonia Güell

2067

Catalan Modernisme, 1908–1915

An exterior oculus window assembly from the Crypt of Colonia Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí and constructed 1908–1915. The window opening is engineered as a hyperbolic paraboloid and is enclosed within a pointed triangular gable canopy encrusted with multicolored trencadís in ochre, green, and black, terminating at the apex in a ceramic cross pinnacle. A forged iron grille with interlocking star-shaped nodes spans the stained-glass aperture below the gable. The pointed triangular form rises sharply from the heavy dark basalt masonry, its upward thrust contrasting with the horizontal weight of the surrounding wall. The dense encrustation of mosaic shards on the gable surface produces vibrant chromatic intensity against the raw stone, while deep shadows within the window cavity and mortar joints create intense chiaroscuro under direct sunlight.