VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis has taken the first step toward making Antoni Gaudí, the famed architect of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, a saint.
On Monday (April 14), Pope Francis recognized the “heroic virtues” of the Catalan, sometimes referred to as “God’s Architect,” meaning he is now considered “venerable” by the Catholic Church, a first step toward canonization.
Gaudí was born in 1852 and died at the age of 73 while working on his spiritual testament, the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. The largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, the Sagrada Família, begun by Gaudí in 1882, is scheduled to be finished in 2026, on the centenary of Gaudí’s death. In 2024, more than 4.8 million people visited the soaring basilica — a mix of gothic, art nouveau and modern styles — to see its swirling spires and prismatic stained-glass windows, according to the basilica’s report.
Displaying heroic virtues in the Catholic Church means an individual lived an exemplary life, aligned to Catholic morality and striving toward holiness. In his last years, the architect was deeply influenced by his faith, which can be seen in his colorful works scattered throughout the city. He was known to sleep in the basilica’s workshop and wear humble clothing to be closer to the poor, which led some to confuse him for a homeless person. His dedication to fasting during Lent in 1884 nearly killed him, according to his biographers.
Antoni Gaudí in 1878. (Photo by Pau Audouard/Wikimedia/Creative Commons)
Gaudí spent the last 15 years of his life working on the basilica and dismissed complaints about the slow pace of construction. “My client is not in a hurry,” he reportedly said, referring to God.
Jordi Faulí I Oller is currently the head architect of the basilica, the seventh to hold the position. Several architects who took over the daunting task of completing the basilica, which is filled with spiritual and religious symbolism, converted to Catholicism during their work.
The cause for Gaudí’s beatification was opened by the Vatican in 2003 and is being overseen by the Diocese of Barcelona, which took it over from a lay Catholic organization. For Gaudí to be designated as “blessed,” a miracle must be attributed to him, at which point he will be considered for status as a saint. According to a 2015 report by Catholic News Agency, Pope Francis desired to move the cause forward, referring to the architect as a “great mystic.”
“We are called, like him, to become saints,” said Cardinal Joan Josep Omella, the archbishop of Barcelona, after the Vatican announcement. “It’s a very important step toward beatification and the canonization of the venerable Antoni Gaudí,” he added.