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May 3, 2024 18 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Let us uncover Barcelona's daring spirit through its architectural masterpieces, each a testament to the city's blend of history, art, and innovation.

Are there others we should add to this list of 15?
🧵⤵️ Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Barcelona, Spain Credit: r/ArchitecturePorn @legwelkar on Reddit
1. Sagrada Família is a monumental Roman Catholic basilica famously designed by Antoni Gaudí, whose construction began in 1882 and remains incomplete. It's set to be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death. Gaudí famously remarked about the prolonged construction, "My client is not in a hurry," referring to the divine.Credit: @othingstodo_com
2. Casa Batlló is a vibrant, imaginative building renovated by Gaudí, representing the apex of Modernisme. The facade is rumored to depict the legend of Saint George slaying the dragon, with the roof designed to mimic the dragon's back. Credit: ChristianSchd • CC BY-SA 3.0
3. La Pedrera (Casa Milà) is another Gaudí masterpiece, notable for its wavy stone facade and innovative wrought iron balconies. Its construction was controversial due to its bold design, and it initially faced criticism for its unconventional appearance. Credit: Thomas Ledl • CC BY-SA 4.0
4. Park Güell is a public park featuring gardens and architectural elements designed by Gaudí on Carmel Hill. Originally intended as a housing project, it was converted into a park after the project failed commercially. Credit: 📸 dazeydreamz
5. Palau de la Música Catalana, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, is a concert hall renowned for its stained glass and detailed mosaics. It stands out as the only concert hall in Europe illuminated entirely by natural light during the day. Credit: @Pili20569002 on X
6. Barcelona Cathedral, officially the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, is a Gothic cathedral known for its elaborate facade. It houses a cloister with 13 white geese, representing the age of Saint Eulalia at her martyrdom. Credit:  r/ArchitecturePorn @Lma0-Zedong On Reddit
7. Santa María del Mar is an imposing church built in the Catalan Gothic style, famously constructed by the local shipbuilders and merchants within 55 years, a remarkably short period for its time. Image
8. Hospital de Sant Pau, a former hospital now serving as a museum, was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and is one of the largest Art Nouveau sites worldwide. It functioned as a hospital until 2009 and transitioned to a cultural site thereafter. Credit: Photo By Thomas Ledl - Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
9. Torre Glòries, formerly known as Torre Agbar, is a 38-story skyscraper known for its night-time illuminations that change colors for different occasions. It marks the gateway to Barcelona’s technological district. Credit: By Diliff - Own work, CC BY 2.5
10. Palau Güell is a mansion designed by Gaudí for the industrialist Eusebi Güell, featuring a unique central hall with a parabolic dome optimized for natural light, intended for high-society events. Ceiling in one of the rooms in his Palau Guell Credit: @timritchie
11. Museu Nacional Credit: 📸Museu Nacional
12. Arc de Triomf was built as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair, with friezes that depict Barcelona welcoming nations, showcasing a rich modernisme style. Credit: By Selbymay - Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
13. Casa Vicens was Gaudí's first significant project, a summer house that combines Catalan and Moorish styles and displays his early use of tiles and ironwork. Credit: By Canaan - Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
14. La Rambla is a famous street in central Barcelona, known for its vibrant atmosphere and cultural significance. It is a mosaic of shorter streets, each with its unique character. Credit: BCN-Travel
15. Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, built for the 1929 International Exhibition, is famed for its spectacular displays involving water, light, and music, often synchronized to various musical themes. By Avda - Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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More from @CultureExploreX

Feb 3
I didn’t turn to old Christian thinkers because I was looking for religion.

I turned to them because even though success answers many questions, it doesn’t tell you who you are becoming.

Here’s what 2,000 years of Christian thought taught me (🧵) about where to turn when modern life stops making sense.Image
Paul of Tarsus is the worst place you’d expect wisdom from.

He spent years hunting Christians, convinced he was right. Then his entire identity collapsed.

His lesson isn’t about self-improvement. It’s this: It's never too late to change.

Artwork: Conversion on the Way to Damascus by Caravaggio (1601).Image
Origen of Alexandria lost his father to execution as a teenager.

Instead of hardening, he went deeper. He believed truth isn’t meant to be skimmed or consumed.

It’s meant to confront you where you’re avoiding yourself. Image
Read 16 tweets
Jan 9
What if I told you there’s a country with
more UNESCO sites than Egypt,
borders with 15 nations,
and empires older than Rome

yet the world reduces it to nukes and veils?

That country is Iran.
And most people have never really seen it. 🧵 Created around 520 BC, the Bisotun Inscription stands as a monumental testament to the ambition and authority of King Darius the Great of Persia.
Iran isn’t new.
It’s older than the name “Persia.”

Ērān, meaning “land of the Aryans,” was carved into stone nearly 1,700 years ago.
This identity existed long before modern borders.

But the world stopped listening.

“Persia” sounded beautiful.
“Iran” sounded dangerous.
One became poetry. The other became a threat.A rock relief of Ardashir I (224–242 AD) in Naqsh-e Rostam, inscribed "This is the figure of Mazda worshipper, the lord Ardashir, King of Iran." Photo by Wojciech Kocot - Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Iran spans deserts, forests, mountains, and coastlines.
It touches the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
It borders 15 countries.

It has always been a bridge and a battlefield.
Too strategic to ignore.
Too rooted to erase. Image
Read 13 tweets
Dec 19, 2025
Forget the predictable Christmas destinations.

If you want a December that actually feels like Christmas, these places still get it right.

Snow, bells, candlelight, and streets older than modern life itself.

Here are 23 European towns that turn Christmas into something real. 🧵⤵️Old Town Tallinn, Estonia Christmas Market
Tallinn, Estonia

One of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets, set inside a medieval square that time forgot. Credit: @archeohistories
Florence, Italy

Renaissance stone glowing under festive lights. Christmas surrounded by genius. Credit: @learnitalianpod
Read 26 tweets
Dec 18, 2025
Christmas didn’t just change how people worship.

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This thread traces the thinkers who quietly shaped your mind, whether you believe or not. 🧵 Neapolitan presepio at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh
Paul the Apostle did something radical in the first century.

He told people their past no longer had the final word. Not birth. Not class. Not failure.

That idea detonated the ancient world. Identity became moral, not tribal. A statue of St. Paul in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran by Pierre-Étienne Monnot
Origen of Alexandria shocked early Christians by saying Scripture wasn’t simple on purpose.

He argued that God hid meaning beneath the surface.

Truth, he said, rewards effort. If reading never costs you anything, you’re not reading deeply enough. Origen significantly contributed to the development of the concept of the Trinity and was among the first to name the Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead
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Dec 10, 2025
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When Darwin buried his daughter Anne, he didn’t lose his faith because of fossils.

He lost it because he couldn’t square a good God with a world full of pain.

Evolution didn’t break him. Grief did. Anne Darwin's grave in Great Malvern.
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Read 17 tweets
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The ruler who ordered it was watching his world fall apart and trying to warn us that ours will too. 🧵 Image
He didn’t carve this to celebrate power.
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A man rose up claiming the throne. People believed him. Entire provinces switched allegiance overnight.

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The king wasn’t concerned with rebellion, rather he was concerned with confusion.The Behistun Inscription is a multilingual Achaemenid royal inscription and large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of Iran.  Photo By Korosh.091 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
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His empire didn’t collapse because of war or famine. It collapsed because millions accepted a story that wasn’t real. And once people started believing the false king, the entire structure of society twisted with frightening speed.

Truth wasn’t a moral preference to him.
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