Why is "God’s architect" Antoni Gaudí on the path to sainthood?

Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect responsible for designing the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, and Park Güell, among other celebrated Barcelona landmarks, is one step further to becoming a saint. In April 2025, Pope Francis approved a decree that has placed Gaudí, who died in 1926, on the path to canonization. But why is the Vatican recognizing the architect this way, and what did he do to deserve such a high honor?

Click through and find out more about "God's architect."

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Papal approval -

In early April 2025, the Vatican issued a statement confirming that Pope Francis had approved the decree recognizing the "heroic virtues" of Antoni Gaudí, often referred to as the "architect of God" for his work on the design of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.

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Barcelona's basilica nears completion -

Construction on the Sagrada Família began in 1882 and is set to be completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death. However, work on sculptures and other decorative details is expected to continue until 2034.

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One step closer to sainthood -

In 2010, the uncompleted church was consecrated as a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI. Now, Pope Francis has declared Antoni Gaudí "venerable," which means the Catalan-born architect has moved one step further on the path to being made a saint.

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Who was Antoni Gaudí? -

Antoni Gaudí was born on June 25, 1852, probably in Reus in Catalonia. His birthplace has also been suggested as being at Riudoms.

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Student of architecture -

Gaudí studied architecture at the Llotja School and the Provincial School of Architecture in Barcelona, graduating in 1878.

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Postgraduate projects -

Among Gaudí's postgraduate project was a set of lampposts for Plaça Reial, in Barcelona's Barri Gòtic district. The lampposts were inaugurated during the Mercè festivities in 1879.

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Developing a style -

Another project was the Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense (Mataró Workers' Cooperative), on which he worked from 1878 to 1882. The design is noted for its use of the catenary arch and ceramic tile decoration, architectural elements that would later become synonymous with Gaudí.

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Eusebi Güell (1846–1918) -

In May 1878, Gaudí exhibited a display cabinet in the Spanish pavilion at the Paris World Exhibition that year. The piece attracted the attention of Spanish industrialist and entrepreneur Eusebi Güell. Impressed with Gaudí's eye for design, Güell requested a meeting with the young architect. Thus began a long friendship and professional collaboration, with Güell becoming Gaudí's main patron and sponsor of many of his most famous projects.

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Collaboration with Güell and Joan Martorell -

Güell's first task for Gaudí was the design of the furniture for the pantheon chapel of the Palacio de Sobrellano in Comillas. The palace was being constructed by Joan Martorell, Gaudí's teacher. Gaudí's collaboration with Martorell would later be a determining factor in Gaudí's recommendation for the Sagrada Família.

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Casa Vicens -

In 1883, Gaudí began work on the Casa Vicens, a modernist building situated in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona. It's considered the architect's first major project and representative of his Orientalist period inspired by the art of the Middle and Far East.

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Palau Güell -

A commission to design the Santísimo Sacramento chapel for the parish church of San Félix de Alella was followed by an important assignment from Güell: the construction of his family house, the Palau Güell.

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World Expo 1888 -

For the World Expo held in Barcelona in 1888, Gaudí constructed the pavilion for the Compañía Trasatlántica, a business enterprise owned by the Marquis of Comillas.

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Casa Botines -

The late 1800s saw Gaudí noticeably inspired by medieval Gothic art. Casa Botines in León, completed in 1892, today houses a museum dedicated to the architect.

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Park Güell -

Park Güell, commissioned by Eusebi Güell in 1900, represents Gaudí's distinct aesthetic sensibilities and characteristically imaginative, ornamental style. The park, located in Barcelona's Gràcia district, was envisioned during the architect's Naturalist period.

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Casa Batlló -

Considered one of Gaudí's masterpieces, Casa Batlló was completed in 1906 as a renovation of an existing building erected in 1875. It's located on the Passeig de Gràcia in the city's Eixample district.

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Family life -

In the early years of the 20th century, Gaudí turned his hand to a wide variety of architectural projects. Commissions included a cinema, a blacksmith's workshop, and the Artigas gardens. Between projects, he found time to visit the Montserrat mountain range with family and friends. Gaudí is pictured standing far left.

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Casa Milà -

Gaudí embarked on another landmark commission in 1906 when he was asked to build a private home for a wealthy couple, Roser Segimón and her husband, Pere Milà. Casa Milà defied any rules of conventional style, and Gaudí was criticized for its rough-hewn appearance. Nonetheless, it remains one of his most admired works.

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Final project for Güell -

The final project for Güell was the church for the Colònia Güell, an industrial village in Santa Coloma de Cervelló. The original design for the church (pictured) called for an oval church punctuated by four spires. As it turned out, only the crypt was completed, the project having been abandoned after Güell's death in 1918.

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A man of faith -

Gaudí's Catholic faith intensified during his life and religious images appear in many of his works. His devotion to God was acknowledged by the Spanish artist Joan Llimona (1860-1926) in his painting 'Saint Philip Neri celebrating the Holy Mass,' where Gaudí was the model for Saint Philip Neri's face.

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Early work on the Sagrada Família -

Gaudí dedicated most of the last years of his career to the Sagrada Família. Construction on the monumental basilica had in fact commenced in 1882 under the direction of architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. However after Villar resigned the following year, Gaudí took up the project's reins. (Joan Martorell headed the committee that selected Gaudí to take over the design and construction of the building.)

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Providing for the workforce -

Gaudí's school building for the children of the workers constructing the Sagrada Família had yet to be completed when an event took place that threatened the entire church project.

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Barcelona's "Tragic Week" -

Between July 25 and August 2, 1909, a series of violent confrontations took place in Barcelona between the Spanish army and anarchists, freemasons, socialists, and republicans. It came to be known as "Tragic Week."

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Anticlerical sentiment -

Tragic Week had a profound impact on Gaudí's personality. The unrest fueled an anticlerical atmosphere that saw widespread attacks on churches and convents. Gaudí feared for the safety of the Sagrada Família, but fortunately, the building escaped damage.

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Teamwork -

Gaudí returned to his workshop with some urgency, rallying his team the members of which included Catalan architect Domènec Sugrañes (pictured right) a disciple of Gaudí's who succeeded him at the head of the works of the church and finished the façade of the Nativity.

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Visits by Vatican representatives -

Work proceeded steadily but slowly. Great interest was expressed by the Vatican in what Gaudí was trying to achieve. In 1915, a high-profile visit to the workshops by papal nuncio (ecclesiastical diplomat) Francesco Ragonesi attracted considerable press interest.

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"Dante of architecture" -

Monsignor Ragonesi, who later became a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, described Gaudí as the "Dante of architecture."

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A project of enormous dimensions -

While never a cathedral, the Sagrada Família was planned from the outset to be a large building, comparable in size to such a building. But its great complexity of parts was soon challenging even Gaudí's innate capacity for extraordinary detail.

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Fêted by VIPs -

Gaudí continued to be fêted by church officials and VIPs, individuals such as Catalan politician, lawyer, and writer Enric Prat de la Riba (seen here with Gaudí). Prat de la Riba was a member of the Centre Escolar Catalanista, where one of the earliest definitions of Catalan nationalism was formulated.

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Death of Antoni Gaudí -

On June 7, 1926, while on his way to vespers, Antoni Gaudí was hit by a trolley car. He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries on June 10. He was 73 years old.

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Funeral and burial -

On June 12, thousands of people took to the streets to bid Antoni Gaudí farewell by joining a cortège from Santa Creu hospital to the Sagrada Família, where the great architect's funeral took place.

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Final resting place -

Despite being a layman, the Holy See allowed Gaudí to be buried in the church he designed. The process for the architect's beatification is now underway in Rome, and a tribunal has to determine whether there have been any miraculous events connected with him.