Venerable Antoni Gaudi, the life of "God's architect".
World-renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi was declared venerable by Pope Francis on Monday, April 14, 2025, who recognized his "heroic virtues". This paves the way for his beatification.
Antoni Gaudi biography
Antoni Gaudi i Cornet was born on June 25, 1852, in Reus or Riudoms, Catalonia, Spain (his exact place of birth is unknown, as there are no surviving records of his birth). He was the youngest of five children. Sadly, only three of them reached adulthood: Rosa, Francesc and Antoni. Antoni's health was frail, and from childhood he suffered from rheumatism, which led to a reserved character. Despite this, he was a keen sportsman, riding horses and walking an average of ten kilometers a day. Very pious, he fasted regularly and strictly, sometimes putting his life in danger. In 1894, for example, he fell seriously ill as a result of prolonged fasting.
From an early age, his talent for drawing did not go unnoticed. In 1868, he moved to Barcelona to attend secondary school at the Carmelite Convent in the city of Barcelona. Antoni did his military service between 1875 and 1878, but hardly saw action at all due to his poor health. He was thus able to continue his studies and escape the Third Carlist War, attending architecture courses at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Provincial School of Architecture, from which he graduated in 1878. From the outset, he worked with the architect Josep Fontseré on the Ciutadella Park project. His career really took off in 883 with the start of construction of Casa Vicens. Antoni was greatly inspired by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, but quickly broke away from the neo-Gothic style and made a name for himself with his originality and fantasy. He was part of the Art Nouveau movement.
In 1883, he agreed to take over the continuation of a recently begun work: the Basicila and Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family (the Sagrada Familia). The architect Francesco del Villar had begun this monument in Gothic style. Antoni completely altered the initial project. Financed solely by private donations, construction was halted in 1914 for lack of funds. During Antoni's lifetime, only the choir and the façade of the south arm of the transept (the San Barnabas tower and the Nativity façade) were built. Receiving more and more commissions, Antoni soon had to surround himself with a large team of professionals in all areas of construction.
In 1899, he became a member of the Saint Luke Artists' Circle, a Catholic artistic society. He also joined the Spiritual League of Our Lady of Montserrat, a Catholic Catalanist group.
After moving several times, Antoni finally settled in his studio in the Sagrada Familia. Indeed, from 1915 onwards, he devoted himself exclusively to this project.
Antoni led the life of an ascetic, devoting himself totally to his work and to Christ. On June 7, 1926, he went, as he did every day, to the church of Saint-Philippe Néri to pray and see his connoisseur, Father Agusti Mas i Folch. Unfortunately, he was knocked down by a streetcar on the way, leaving him unconscious and seriously injured in the abdomen and head. Antoni Gaudi gave up his soul to the Lord three days later, on June 10, 1928, in the Santa Creu hospital, a fortnight before his 74th birthday.
He was buried two days later in the Notre-Dame-du-Carmel chapel in the Sagrada Familia crypt, in the presence of a huge crowd (almost 30,000 people).
The inscription on his tombstone reads: "Antoni Gaudi Cornet. Native of Reus. Born 74 years ago, man of exemplary life, author of the admirable work that is this temple, died piously in Barcelona on June 10, 1926, here the ashes of such a great man await the resurrection of the dead. May he rest in peace.
Opening of the beatification process for Antoni Gaudi
On Monday April 14, 2025, Pope Francis declared the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi venerable during an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The Holy Father recognized his "heroic virtues". The decree paves the way for the eventual beatification the Father of the Sagrada Familia. An inquiry for Antoni's beatification was opened twenty-five years ago. He was also declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church in 1988.
A man of great piety and asceticism, Antoni's art was a hymn of praise to the Lord, to whom he offered the fruits of his labor. He saw architecture as his mission to bring Christ closer to the world.
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI hailed the "genius of Antoni Gaudi", who "inspired by the ardor of his Christian faith, succeeded in transforming this church into a praise to God made of stone".
Works by the venerable Antoni Gaudi
Antoni Gaudi's works listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- Parc Güell, inscribed in 1984
- Güell Palace, inscribed in 1984
- Casa Mila, listed in 1984
- Casa Vicens, inscribed in 2005
- Sagrada Familia Nativity façade, inscribed in 2005
- Sagrada Familia crypt, listed in 2005
- Casa Batllo, listed in 2005
- Colonia Güell crypt, inscribed in 2005
Main works
- El Capricho (1883-1885) in Comillas
- Casa Vicens (1883-1888)
- Sagrada Família (1883-1926, unfinished at the time) → consecrated in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, paving the way for its use as a place of worship.
- Güell Pavilion (Finca Güell) (1884-1887)
- Güell Palace (1885-1889)
- Collège Sainte-Thérèse (1888-1889) in Barcelona
- Episcopal Palace of Astorga (1889-1893)
- Casa Botines (1891-1893) in León
- Casa Calvet (1898-1900)
- Colonie Güell crypt (1898-1915)
- Bellesguard (1900-1909)
- Barcelona's Parc Güell (1900-1914)
- Casa Batlló and details of its facade (1904-1906)
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera) (1905-1907)
Lesser-known projects
90 projects were identified during Gaudi's career. Many were destroyed, never realized or never completed:
- La Miranda, a house built in Llinars del Vallès, destroyed in 1939. The grille was reinstalled in Parc Güell.
- Les missions de Tanger, a project for a hospital and school in Morocco. This was never realized.
- Chalet Graner, design for a chalet commissioned by the painter Lluís Graner in 1904 and intended to resemble the Casa Batlló. Only the foundations and main doors were built.
- Vic street lamps, designed for the Plaça Major in Vic, destroyed in 1924.
- Hotel Attraction, a hotel project discovered in 1956, dating from 1908, of a 360-meter tower in New York that was never built.
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