Almuzara Reveals Antoni Gaudí’s Three Great Loves and the Key to His Sanctity
“Gaudí did not create a split. He was an architect and a Christian simultaneously, because his work is spiritual and Marian.”
José Manuel Almuzara, president of the Association for the Beatification of Gaudí, addresses the profound spirituality of the Catalan architect in the context of the centenary of his death in 2026. The expert explains how nature, the Cross, and the Eucharist, but above all his love for the Virgin Mary, shaped his genius and his work. This devotion is materialized in the Sagrada Familia through a small chapel dedicated to the Assumption.
José Manuel Almuzara, architect and president of the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí since 1992, participated in an NS Radio Televisión program to discuss the comprehensive richness of the Venerable’s personality. His tireless work has contributed to the beatification cause, undertaken by the Diocese of Barcelona, already recognizing his heroic virtues. Almuzara is also an ambassador for various Gaudinian projects in Chile, Switzerland, and Peru, demonstrating the global relevance of the master’s work. This persistent effort, carried out by a team of laypeople, seeks to prepare for the commemoration of the centenary of Gaudí’s death in 2026.
The Catalan architect was a man of integral faith who did not separate his work from his Christianity, reflecting his spirituality in every constructive detail. His three great loves were the Virgin Mary, the Cross, and the Eucharist—inseparable elements reflected in his work. Gaudí’s Marian devotion was forged from his childhood in Reus, where he was a student of the Piarists (Escolapios) and a devotee of the Virgin of Mercy (Virgen de la Misericordia), the local patroness. Even in his youth, he submitted a sketch for a competition dedicated to the Virgin, an early testament to his desire to dedicate his art to the Mother of God.
“Let everyone use the gift God has given them. Its realization is the maximum social perfection.”
Gaudí considered nature his teacher, an observation that began at age six when a severe rheumatic illness prevented him from playing and forced him to contemplate the countryside. The Sagrada Familia is the ultimate expression of this inspiration, with its interior designed to simulate a stone forest. Almuzara emphasizes that Gaudí was not a creator who invented, but a collaborator who discovered God’s work in Creation. This purity of heart and his capacity to enjoy his work (Gaudir) allowed him to face life’s adversities, such as the early loss of much of his family.
Although the year 2026 will be marked by the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the expert highlights the equal importance of the Chapel of the Assumption, located behind the apse of the Sagrada Familia. This chapel, modest in size (10×10 meters and 30 meters high), was conceived by Gaudí as a refuge and an access point to God through Mary. According to the master’s vision, if someone feels overwhelmed by the temple’s monumentality and considers himself a great sinner, he can return to God through the Mother, entering through the smallness of the chapel where ‘no one sees you.’ Construction of this chapel is progressing and its inauguration is expected for the centenary year.
“[Nature] is my teacher. I took the purest and most patient images from nature, created by God, of which I am a collaborator.”
Beyond his architectural achievements, Gaudí left a profound social teaching (magisterium) based on service and personal perfection. The architect taught that maximum social perfection is achieved when every person utilizes the gift God has given them, instead of wasting energy on criticizing others. Furthermore, he advised builders to direct criticism against their own works to refine and improve them, avoiding defending them or attacking the works of others. Gaudí’s life, marked by constant prayer, communion, and the recitation of the Rosary, serves as a model of sanctity and a teacher for contemporary man.