09/26/2026
Gaudí used real giant clams as holy water fonts. Not carved stone. Not plaster copies. Actual shells that grew in tropical seas on the other side of the world.
This is the crypt of the Colònia Güell, the church Gaudí built for the workers of Eusebi Güell's textile village in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, about 15 miles (23 km) from Barcelona. There are two of these shells inside, and both came from the Philippines. Gaudí designed the wrought-iron arms that hold them.
Why the Philippines? When Güell commissioned the church in 1898, the islands were still a Spanish colony. By the end of that same year, Spain had lost them.
Giant clams are the biggest shellfish on the planet. The largest species can grow up to 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) long. Today they are protected, and harvesting them in the Philippines is illegal.
Gaudí clearly liked the idea. He planned giant clam fonts for the Sagrada Família too. In 2010, more than 80 years after his death, the Philippines donated six shells to finally make it happen.
And the church itself? Gaudí planned a tower 131 feet (40 meters) high. In 1914, the Güell family stopped paying. Only the lower level was ever built, which is why everyone calls it a crypt. It was blessed in 1915 and still hosts weddings, baptisms and Sunday mass today.
