Antoni Gaudí

The career of Antoni Gaudí is at the heart of Catalan Modernism, an artistic and social movement that he quickly transcended to develop a unique, organic, and deeply symbolic style. His early secular achievements, such as Casa Vicens, the Güell Palace, Casa Batlló, or Casa Milà (La Pedrera), earned him immense renown among the Barcelona bourgeoisie. He notably benefited from the patronage of Eusebi Güell, who became a close friend and entrusted him with numerous major projects, including the famous Park Güell and the crypt of the Colònia Güell.

However, the work that would define and consume his life is the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family). In 1883, at the age of 31, Gaudí succeeded the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar and took over the direction of the construction site begun the previous year. He abandoned the initial neo-Gothic project to design a monumental edifice with 18 towers, conceived as a true 'Bible in stone'.

From 1914 onwards, Gaudí refused all new civil projects to devote himself exclusively to the Sagrada Família. His lifestyle changed radically: the elegant young dandy and opera lover of his youth faded away to make room for a rigorous ascetic. He even moved into a modest workshop on the basilica's construction site, living in voluntary poverty, fasting regularly, and dedicating his days to work and prayer.

On June 7, 1926, while on his way to the church of Saint Philip Neri for his daily prayer and confession with his confessor, Father Agustí Mas i Folch, Gaudí was struck by a tram. Due to his extremely neglected appearance and the lack of identity papers, he was mistaken for a pauper and transported to the Hospital de la Santa Creu, the city's hospice for the poor. Recognized late, he passed away three days later, on June 10, 1926, at the age of 73. His national funeral gathered a huge crowd of Barcelonans who came to pay him a final tribute. He is buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Família, within the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The reputation of holiness of Antoni Gaudí, already vivid during his lifetime, spread rapidly after his death. In 1992, the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí was founded in Barcelona by laypeople to promote his cause. The diocesan process was officially opened in 2003 under the aegis of the Archdiocese of Barcelona and concluded in 2010.

In December 2023, the Canonical Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, presided over by Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, took over from the civil association to carry the cause to the Holy See. The Positio, an exhaustive dossier documenting the life, virtues, and reputation of holiness of the architect, was submitted to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

On April 14, 2025, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Antoni Gaudí, officially declaring him venerable. This decree attests that the architect lived the theological and cardinal virtues in an exemplary manner.

For Gaudí's beatification to be pronounced, the Catholic Church now requires the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession. Several cases of unexplained healings are currently being studied by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Antoni Gaudí's spirituality rests on an intimate union between artistic creation, the contemplation of nature, and the Catholic liturgy. Close to Franciscan spirituality, he saw in the beauty of the physical world the direct reflection of the Creator. For him, the architect was not to invent, but to "copy" the perfect structures of nature (such as hyperbolic paraboloids or tree-like columns). His famous maxim summarizes this vision: "Creation continues through men, but man does not create: he discovers. He who seeks the laws of nature to conform to them collaborates with the Creator."

His faith was nourished by a daily practice of the Eucharist, the recitation of the Rosary, and assiduous reading of the Bible and the liturgy. An active member of the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc and the Spiritual League of the Mother of God of Montserrat, he intimately linked his faith to the defense of Catalan cultural identity.

Gaudí's legacy is immense. Seven of his works are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Sagrada Família and elevated it to the rank of minor basilica, praising the genius of Gaudí who knew how to "transform this church into a praise to God made of stone." In June 2026, on the occasion of the centenary of the architect's death, the Pope of the time made a historic visit to Barcelona to bless the new Tower of Jesus Christ, thus completing the summit of this masterpiece of faith and art.