Gaudì touches something intimate, even among non -believers, he emphasizes Cardinal Omella

The Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Cardinal Juan José Omella, says that the announcement on the declaration of venerable of architect Antoni Gaudí is “a joy” also for non -believers.

“It is a joy because Antoni Gaudí is very loved as a person and as an architect, especially for the famous and wonderful work of the Sagrad Vatican News, The Vatican news portal.

Connected with this idea, Cardinal Omella insists on the deep and spiritual impact that Gaudí’s architecture can have, beyond the religious. Thus he explains that there is something in his works, especially in the sacred family, “that manages to touch something intimate in people, even in those who do not consider themselves believers”

Cardinal Omella believes that this “mystery” is precisely what the architect Antoni Gaudí has ​​transmitted in his work.

“How many people who are not a believer and who admire architecture has told us that when entering the Holy Family they have wanted to throw themselves to the ground, keep silent and contemplate greatness. And then they have told me: ‘We have left with great inner peace,” he says.

It also highlights the spiritual and human value of the famous Catalan architect by valueing the work of the designer of the sacred family of Barcelona because “it places us in the greatness of God’s importance because with his profession he manages to capture the faith so strong that he has.”

After expressing his happiness before the news, he emphasizes that it is not only a joy for the Church, “but also for the entire city of Barcelona since Gaudí is a very dear and admired figure” worldwide.

The archbishop of Barcelona also highlights his deep commitment to the Christian faith visible in his work: “Gaudí – like all in his time – received a Christian formation that was strengthened throughout his life, first with his parents, then in the school of the Escolapios and then in the parish.”

For the Spanish cardinal, Gaudí’s faith was not only a part of his personal life, but also reflected in his professional work, since “in his profession he tries to capture that faith he has and this seems impressive to me.” Gaudí not only designed buildings, but “integrated his deep spirituality into each of them, especially in the Holy Family, which remains one of the most significant expressions of his devotion.”

“Each of us, in our work can live the faith that carries in their hearts and capture it to help others. And this is what he has left us,” adds Cardinal Omella.

That deep spirituality of the famous Catalan architect, can be seen clearly in the Sagrada Familia, where we can distinguish two areas, according to Cardinal Omella: “one the outside, where he shows the entire Gospel and the entire Bible so that, who who cannot or does not want to enter, can read, through that expressing in the stone, the facts of the Bible and the Gospel.”

Of the three fronts of the Sagrada Familia designed by the modernist architect, only one was seen in life, dedicated to the Nativity. The second, dedicated to the passion of Christ, was built on Gaudí designs after his death. The third, the glory, has not yet been built.

Greatness of transcendence

According to the prelate, within the Sacred Family one is “places in the greatness of transcendence, in the silence and in the greatness of the admiration up, with those columns that rise up to us, in silence, the light, the contemplation of the transcendence of God.”

So whoever visits it “has first been touched by the outside, seeing Jesus’ message, and then inside he meets that silence, with that peace, which produces the encounter with the transcendent, which is God,” emphasizes the prelate.

Pope Francis approved Monday the heroic virtues of the Catalan architect who dedicated much of his life to the design of the Sacred Family Basilica of Barcelona and considered his work a mission to publicize God. Now, the next step for its beatification would be the approval of a miracle for its intercession. The declaration of the heroic virtues occurs at the gates of 2026, when the centenary of the death of the famous architect is celebrated, whose last words were: “My God, my God.”