The plant kingdom - massive upward branching columns resembling a dense stone forest. Thirty-six of the "trees" connect only with the vault; the other sixteen are incorporated into the temple walls. Their total number - 52 - indicates the number of Sundays in the whole year (except Easter Sunday).
The animal kingdom - animal symbols are widely present in the temple's ornamentation - most of them are on the Nativity façade. These are animals symbolizing good (a lamb, a dove) and also evil (a snake with an apple representing Satan, reptiles, amphibians).
The mineral kingdom - the undulating surface of the Nativity façade reflects the landscape of the Catalan mountains of Montserrat.
The kingdom of man - is most clearly reflected in the main portal of the Passion Façade, which is the most naturalistic. Using the angular masses that make up the Passion sculptures, it speaks most powerfully to those who view it. At the bottom are six upward climbing columns that symbolize the primary bones of man (the crucified Christ) along with the structure of the adjacent tendons. They are complemented by 18 other columns - a total of 24, the number of bones a human rib has.
