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On Saturday 24 October 2026, José Manuel Almuzara opened the 2026-2027 season of the «Bonaigua en Col·loqui» series with the lecture «Gaudí, el arquitecto del alma» («Gaudí, the Architect of the Soul») at the Oratory of Santa María de Bonaigua, a Catholic oratory in Barcelona (Spain). He spoke about the faith that drove the architect of the Sagrada Família, about his last days and about the cause of beatification that he has championed since 1992.
The Oratory of Santa María de Bonaigua in Barcelona began the 2026-2027 season of its series of talks and discussions on Saturday 24 October at 12.45 p.m. with José Manuel Almuzara. The programme presents him as an architect, president of the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, communicator and writer. The lecture took its title from his book «Gaudí, el arquitecto del alma», published this year by Roca Editorial. Almuzara explained that his work goes beyond the technical analysis of Gaudí's structures, which academics and historians have already studied in depth. He seeks to understand the motives and the transcendent purposes that guided the architect, and how his message reaches people's hearts. He turned to the words of Pope Benedict XVI, for whom «beauty is the great need of mankind, the root from which our peace and hope spring».
The lecture traced Gaudí's life and the Christian symbolism of his work. Almuzara dwelt on the architect's last days and read them in the light of faith. A tram knocked him down on Monday 7 June 1926, a day the speaker associated with the Cross. He died on Thursday the 10th, the day of the Eucharist, and was buried on Saturday the 12th, a day dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in the crypt of the Sagrada Família. He then went over some theological details of the basilica and its surroundings. He spoke of the chapel dedicated to the Virgin as a way in «through the back door», of the Rosary Portal, which represents victory over temptation, and of the Provisional Schools, where the pillars of the central space evoke Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Almuzara also recalled how Gaudí cared for the most vulnerable. He gave as examples the garden of the psychiatric hospital in Sant Boi de Llobregat and the architect's close relationship with the workers on the building site, guided by the maxim that «work is the fruit of collaboration and must be based on love». He also quoted these words of Gaudí on selfless work: «Worthwhile things are not done with an eye to reward, but through sacrifice, which is the diminution of the self without compensation». He then described how he has made Gaudí known around the world, with architectural proposals in the Chinese city of Yiwu, talks in prisons in Santiago de Chile and social projects in Urubamba and Arequipa, in Peru. And he spoke of his lectures in Puerto Rico, organised after years of prayer by the Carmelite nun Sister Inés.
The event also reviewed the history of the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, founded by lay people in 1992, and the steps in the canonical process. Gaudí was declared Venerable in April 2025, and beatification now requires the recognition of a miracle. In September, the press reported that the Vatican was examining an alleged healing attributed to his intercession. In the question-and-answer session, a member of the audience asked why the only tower Gaudí saw completed is dedicated to Saint Barnabas. Almuzara explained how the twelve apostles are distributed. Saint John and Saint Matthew appear on the towers reserved for the Evangelists, and Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas hold a prominent place on the façade as great propagators of the faith. The series will continue on Saturday 21 November at 12.45 p.m. with the lecture «Discovering the Apocalypse: The Definitive Triumph of Good» by Juan Chapa, a priest and professor of New Testament at the University of Navarra.