Gaudí’s Spiritual Legacy: From Adversity to Sainthood Through Architecture

“Gaudí attracts, impacts, and converts; seeing his work, I discovered the divine breath it possesses, and that led me to the existence of God.”

José Manuel Almuzara, an expert on Antoni Gaudí, shares previously unpublished details in an interview in Mexico regarding the architect’s childhood and youth, which were marked by illness and family loss. He analyzes the profound spiritual symbolism of his work, from the Teresian School (Escuelas Teresianas) to the Sagrada Familia, and reveals the current status of his beatification cause.

The interview begins with Venancio, the host, recalling the start of his friendship with José Manuel Almuzara 16 years ago in Barcelona, at the Colegio de las Teresianas, a work by Gaudí. This relationship has been sustained by a common interest in the life, work, and spiritual thought of Antoni Gaudí. Almuzara emphasizes how the Catalan architect possesses the gift of turning those who engage with his figure into lifelong friends. This meeting serves to delve into the architect’s trajectory, from his childhood to his legacy of faith.

Almuzara details that the name Antoni Gaudí Cornet foreshadowed his destiny: “he who faces adversity,” “to enjoy,” and “clean heart.” Suffering from rheumatism in his childhood, Gaudí could not attend school normally, which allowed his mother to take him to Riudoms, where he discovered nature as his first teacher and source of inspiration. This difficult childhood, marked by the early loss of his mother and four siblings, and the responsibility of caring for his father and niece, tempered his character, preparing him for a life of commitment and faith.

“Gaudí outside of faith will always be incomprehensible.”

Following an uneven university career, Gaudí graduated, prompting Elías Rogent’s famous remark about whether he was granting the degree to a madman or a genius. His professional life changed radically after meeting Eusebio Güell in 1878, who became his great patron and opened the doors of the Catalan high bourgeoisie to him. His faith was fully integrated into his work, as evidenced in the Colegio de las Teresianas, designed to facilitate the nuns’ vocation through architecture based on the seven dwelling places of Saint Teresa of Jesus. Benedict XVI emphasized that Gaudí did not divide his Christian conscience from his human conscience; rather, the two were one.

Regarding the Sagrada Familia, Almuzara confirms the progress, such as the completion of the Tower of the Virgin and the forecast to finish the Tower of Jesus Christ in 2026, coinciding with the centenary of the architect’s death. Gaudí designed the main tower at 172.5 meters, below the mountains of Barcelona, in an act of humility, not wishing to surpass God’s work. Although the architectural fidelity is praised, the lack of spiritual depth in certain sculptures on the Passion Facade is criticized. Almuzara insists that Gaudí designed that facade in pain, based on St. John of the Cross, and proposed that the focus should be on the Washing of the Feet and the Eucharist, not solely on betrayal and suffering.

“My client is not in a hurry; if I have to build a temple for God, I will live as God asks me to.”

After 30 years of work promoting his cause for beatification, the Civil Association presided over by Almuzara faces the transition to a canonical entity, a necessary yet complex step. The ultimate goal of the cause is not the architect’s glory, but that Gaudí, like other saints, may help us move toward Heaven. Gaudí’s transcendence lies in the fact that his architecture became a form of praise and prayer, as demonstrated by cases of conversion to Christianity inspired solely by the contemplation of his work.