The highest point of the Portal of Charity and of the entire Nativity façade (except for the bell towers) is a symbol of the Holy Trinity. It consists of a cross made up of several elements: at the very top, a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit; below, a Tau cross (a cross with three arms), the colour of blood, representing Jesus Christ; and, embracing this Tau, another gold cross that represents God the Father holding his crucified Son. It is a new representation of the theme of the Throne of Grace, which has a long-standing iconographic tradition.
THE CYPRESS
Standing above several symbols of the Eucharist, the Portal of Christian Love or Charity is crowned with a cypress tree surrounded by white doves. The cypress, a long-lived evergreen associated with hallowed ground since ancient times, symbolizes the eternal love of Christ. In Catalonia, the cypress is planted as a sign of welcome in local farmhouses.
At the foot of the cypress are two ladders evoking Jacob's ladder. Behind the tree, a bridge connects two bell towers.
THE PELICAN
Above a crown and an egg with the Christogram (JHS), a pelican feeds its two chicks. This allegory of the Eucharist, of medieval origin, is based on an even older legendary image of the pelican. It was believed that a female pelican could feed her young with her own blood; thus its association with the sacrifice of Christ..