The Pope approves the first step toward sainthood for Antoni Gaudí

BarcelonaPope Francis approved this Monday the decree recognizing the "heroic virtues" of architect Antoni Gaudí, known as "God's architect" for his work in designing the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Francis, who is still recovering from a respiratory infection, received the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Marcello Semeraro, and signed several decrees, which also include the three priests Pietro Giuseppe Triest, Angelo Bughetti, and Agostino Cozzolino.

The path to sainthood has several stages: the first is being declared a "venerable servant of God," a title given to a deceased person who is recognized for "having lived the virtues in a heroic manner." The second stage is that of blessedness, and the third, that of saint. "What a joy to know that the Pope has signed the decree declaring Antoni Gaudí venerable," says architect and Gaudí expert Chiara Curti. "A protector was truly needed for architects, but above all for all those who wish that their work not be in vain. The first biography of Antoni Gaudí ends with these words: 'Gaudí, seen outside of faith, will always be incomprehensible.' Not only do we have one more saint to look up to, but also places where beauty is not an end in itself."

Curti also recalls the impact of Gaudí's buildings on the public: "Anyone who has admired Gaudí's work at least once realizes that everything they see is not the fruit of conceptual thought, but of a deep and constant contemplation of the mysteries of nature through the eyes."

A growing spiritual ascent

According to information published by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, that is, the body of the Holy See responsible for managing the processes of beatification and canonization within the Church, Gaudí's knowledge and adherence to the mysteries of the Christian faith dates back to the same year he graduated, in 1878, and was reflected in the texts Reus Manuscript. Later, Gaudí suffered a serious illness during Lent in 1894, caused by a rigorous fast that, "despite endangering his life, was at the same time a profound spiritual experience in his search for God."

Gaudí's spiritual life also took a turn when he was left alone in 1910 after the death of his father and niece, and he undertook "a true spiritual ascent and, rejecting new commissions, concentrated on the construction of the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia." "The Venerable Servant of God considered the Sagrada Familia to be the mission God had entrusted to him. With this awareness, he transformed the original neo-Gothic project into something different and original, inspired by the forms of nature and rich in symbolism that expressed his profound faith and spirituality, influenced by the Benedictines, a document made public this Monday.

The authors of the justification for Gaudí's designation as venerable recall that his last words were "My God, my God!" and that his funeral procession was attended by some 30,000 people. "Gaudí faced obstacles and difficulties with courage and trust in God. He endured envy and jealousy, as well as the bitterness of defeat due to unfinished or unrealized works. Despite continuing to work as an architect, he gradually withdrew into himself, into prayer, Bible reading, and liturgical life," the text also says.

Gaudí's inner journey reached its peak in his last period, "nourished by an austere, chaste, monastic-type life, centered on prayer, penance, and rigorous fasting." "Moved by the longing for union with the Lord, he led a good spiritual and moral life, above the ordinary, with some traits of a mystical life. He was a convinced and practicing Christian [...] His reputation for holiness developed especially in the last years of his life and has remained alive and intense over time, not only in Spain, but also" justification.