Pope Francis approved on Monday the recognition of the “heroic virtues” of the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), according to the press office of the Holy See.
The designer of the Sagrada Familia, the famous Neogotic Basilica of Barcelona consecrated by Benedict XVI in 2010, is, therefore, now “venerable.” This is the first step towards the beatification and canonization of the nicknamed man “The architect of God.”
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The procedures of the Beatification Process began with the conformity of the Holy See, in Barcelona on April 12, 2000. In the city, he died on June 7, 1926 after being hit by a tram on the Gran Vía Barcelona.
Gaudí was buried in the crypt of the sacred family to which he dedicated the last fourteen last years of his life, in which he rejected any other project.
Of the three fronts, one made, dedicated to the Nativity. The second, dedicated to the Passion of Christ, was made about Gaudí designs after his death. The third, the glory, is still to be done.
Gaudí confessed to be a Catholic for education and conviction. “Faith in God helps me, comforts me and gives me strength in delicate situations,” he said on one occasion.
Passionate about perfection, Christian virtues lived heroically, trying to give glory to God through his work. Every day, after Mass, he sought serenity with a brief contact with nature, true cause of his inspiration.
Water worker, convinced of the Franciscan spirit, sought in nature the Spirit of God. Its architecture, unique in the world, has been reflected in numerous examples in Barcelona: the Güell Palace, Casa Milá, Balcones de la Pedrera, schools of the Sagrada Familia and the Güell farm on Pedralbes Avenue, where he played with crystals and tiles, combined with intelligence.
His Marian devotion has been embodied in the building of the African Missions of Tangier, and the Rosary in the Montserrat mountain. Gaudí’s footprint is also present in the Benedictine monastery of Villaricos, in Cuevas de Vera (Almería), and at the College of Jesús María, in San Andrés del Palomar.
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.