Pope Recognizes Antoni Gaudí's Heroic Virtues, Paving the Way for Sainthood
Antoni Gaudí, the acclaimed Catalan architect famously known as "God's Architect" for his monumental work on Barcelona's Sagrada Família, has taken a significant step towards sainthood as recognized by the Vatican. On Monday, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis acknowledged Gaudí's heroic virtues, a pivotal milestone in the intricate process of canonization.
The journey to becoming a saint is often a prolonged endeavor, potentially spanning hundreds of years. Typically, a candidate requires two miracles attributed to their intercession before they can be beatified and subsequently canonized. The next phase in Gaudí's pathway will be the identification and examination of these miracles, as commissions of doctors and theologians assess the legitimacy of the claims before the pope makes the final determination.
Gaudí's case is notably unique; few artists achieve sainthood, and no architect in modern times has been canonized. His legacy is deeply intertwined with Catholicism, as he devoted much of his life to the Sagrada Família, a church of breathtaking beauty that has been under construction for over 140 years and remains unfinished today.
Gaudí's vision for the Sagrada Família was to create a "Bible in stone," manifesting his faith in the design of a grand structure comprising 18 spindly towers, each symbolizing a different biblical figure, including the 12 apostles, the four evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ. When completed in 2026, the tower dedicated to Jesus Christ will soar to an impressive height of 172.5 meters (566 feet), crowned with a 17-meter-tall (56-foot) four-armed cross, making it the tallest church in the world.
The interior of the nave is a stunning display of multicolored light, streaming through exquisitely adorned stained-glass windows from numerous directions.
Although Gaudí devoted the final years of his life exclusively to the Sagrada Família, he tragically passed away in 1926 with only an estimated 10-15% of the project finalized; this included one transept, a crypt, and parts of the apse wall. Nevertheless, the unique style he brought to his buildings is evident throughout Barcelona, adding to the city's distinctive character.
For decades, there has been a campaign advocating for Gaudí's beatification, spearheaded by the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí. This momentum gained considerable support when the Archbishop of Barcelona embraced the cause in 2023, subsequently submitting the "positio"—a fundamental argument for Gaudí's beatification—to the Vatican.
As the journey towards sainthood continues, Gaudí's exceptional contributions to architecture and his unyielding faith remain a source of inspiration for many, both in Spain and around the world.
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