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The beatification cause
The beatification of Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí has been Venerable since 14 April 2025, when Pope Francis approved the decree recognising his heroic virtues. For his beatification, one step remains: the approval of a miracle attributed to his intercession, currently under examination in Rome. The cause has been driven since 1992 by the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, presided over by José Manuel Almuzara.
“Gaudí succeeded in joining Faith and Culture”
The path to the altars, stage by stage
- 1926 · Barcelona
Antoni Gaudí dies after being struck by a tram on his way to pray. Barcelona bids farewell to “God’s architect” with crowds that already revere him as a holy man.
- 1992 · The association is born
A small group of architects and priests founds the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, presided over ever since by José Manuel Almuzara. Three decades of lectures, publications and testimony-gathering around the world begin.
- 2003 · The cause opens formally
After the Vatican gives its green light, the cause formally opens in the Archdiocese of Barcelona. Gaudí becomes a Servant of God, and the association produces the extensive “Positio” documenting his life of faith.
- December 2023 · Canonical handover
The Antoni Gaudí Canonical Association is constituted under the Archdiocese of Barcelona, taking over as petitioner for the final phase of the cause.
- 14 April 2025 · Venerable
Pope Francis approves the decree of heroic virtues: Antoni Gaudí is declared Venerable.
- 2026 · The centenary and the miracle
In the centenary year of his death, Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Sagrada Família and prays at Gaudí’s tomb. Rome examines an alleged miracle attributed to his intercession — the step that remains for beatification.
Frequently asked questions
Will Antoni Gaudí be beatified?
Everything points that way. Gaudí was declared Venerable on 14 April 2025, when Pope Francis approved the decree recognising his heroic virtues. The one remaining step is the approval of a miracle attributed to his intercession — Rome is currently examining one.
What does it mean that Gaudí is “Venerable”?
It is the Church’s official recognition that he lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree. It is the second stage on the path to sainthood: Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint.
What is still needed for Gaudí to be beatified?
The verification of a miracle attributed to his intercession. If the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and the Pope approve the case under examination, Gaudí will be proclaimed Blessed.
Who is behind Gaudí’s beatification cause?
The Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí, founded in 1992 by a small group of lay Catholics and presided over ever since by the architect José Manuel Almuzara. Since December 2023 the petitioner of the cause has been the Antoni Gaudí Canonical Association, under the Archdiocese of Barcelona.
Gaudí’s spiritual teachings — the faith that explains his architecture — are gathered in the essay “Gaudí, the Architect of the Soul”, the centenary book. Journalists covering the cause will find quotable biography, photographs and direct contact on the For media page.