Antoni Gaudí, the architect of beauty to reach God

BarcelonaThe Gaudí Year 2026 is getting closer. This morning, the Sant Pacià University Athenaeum (AUSP) organized the first event of the commemorations of the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) at the Sagrada Família. The event consisted of a mass in the central nave of the basilica presided over by Cardinal Joan Josep Omella, Grand Chancellor of the AUSP, and the inaugural lecture for the 2025-2026 academic year was given by the director of the temple's works, Jordi Faulí. A prayer at Gaudí's tomb in the crypt before Faulí's speech was one of the most intense moments of the day.

Following Faulí's speech, the rector of the AUSP, Joan Torra, announced an international conference dedicated to Gaudí, which will take place in February. "Gaudí sought the most sublime, the highest beauty, so that everyone could approach the unfathomable mystery of God. An architect of profound faith, Gaudí wanted to express in this temple of stone the mystery of God who made himself present in human history and was incarnated in Jesus," said Omella during the Mass, on his journey toward sainthood. "Everything will come; they are studying the miracle. We wait, we wait with confidence," the cardinal requested.

Architectural Mastery

Jordi Faulí's knowledge of the Sagrada Família and its construction is overwhelming. At the beginning of the lesson, entitled Gaudí's architecture for the Sagrada Familia elevates the spirit toward God, Faulí recalled that Gaudí sought "grandeur" because he believed that "the religious character is the one that always tends toward the most grandiose as long as its objective is a mystery." He also reviewed the history of the works and emphasized that Gaudí was a pioneer in the use of new technologies when he used reinforced concrete in the terminal of the Nativity façade, which was probably "the tallest in Europe at the time" made with this material.

Gaudí also developed a "system of prefabricated mortar and brittle elements," and Faulí also explained how in recent years "the six central towers and the terminals of the Evangelists and of Jesus Christ have been built with stone panels following the technique of tensile stone for the first time."

On the other hand, Faulí has delved into the details of the future Glory façade and the Chapel of the Assumpta, located in the center of the apse along the temple cloister. It will be a small but very tall building, 30 meters high. The roof will be covered in blue ceramic, and the entire complex will recall the image of four angels lifting the Virgin's cloak. Regarding the Glory façade, where sixteen hyperbolic lanterns that appear to be suspended are striking, Faulí pointed out the spot where it will be most prominent. the artist The winners in the competition for the basilica: Cristina Iglesias, Miguel Barceló, or Javier Marín. This is the interior of the atrium or narthex, which Faulí describes as "majestic." "Gaudí proposed an entrance narthex with a maximum height greater than that of the main nave. Unheard of! It will be a space that will predispose one to spiritual elevation before entering the Eucharistic celebration," he emphasized.

A major exhibition on Gaudí at the Museum of the History of Catalonia

The centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death is one of the official commemorations of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) for 2026. Specifically, of the Department of Culture. The program is scheduled to be announced at the end of October in a press conference. According to ARA, the program will include half a dozen exhibitions, one of them immersive, produced by Mediapro, and another at the Museu d'Història de Catalunya. The latter represents a significant challenge, only four years after the major exhibition on the architect at the National Art Museum of CataloniaThere will also be an international conference on Gaudí's work, and a series of activities organized by the managers of the various Gaudí buildings. At the Sagrada Família, the events will continue on November 30th with the opening of the exhibition. 1925-2025. One hundred years since the Bernabé Tower. Gaudí's first witness., given that Sant Bernabé was the only tower Gaudí saw completed. Jordi Faulí and fellow architect Chiara Curti will also hold a discussion about this tower.