Ana Torres Fonseca
Religious beliefs have influenced the work of many artists throughout history. For Michelangelo, his Christian vision shaped the Sistine Chapel; for Johann Sebastian Bach, music was a form of praise to God; and for Dante Alighieri, the world of his Divine Comedy is based on a Christian understanding of human life, sin, suffering, and redemption. The architect Antoni Gaudí had the same understanding.
ARMAND PUIG I TARRÉS
Biblical scholar and head of AVEPRO
With Gaudí, one discovers something — one discovers the spiritual dimension of life, but through images that are astonishing, because his art is founded on beauty, I would say almost absolute beauty, and that is incredibly attractive.
Although he grew up in a Catholic family, there was decisive moment in 1894 when he had an inner crisis, which led to a radical change in the way he lived his faith.
From 1894 onward, his inner spiritual life grew deeper. But while his architectural work is extravagant, his piety was profoundly focused and simple:
CHIARA CURTI
Architect and Gaudí biographer
Because his way of living the faith was very simple, to the point that during Miguel de Unamuno’s visit, in which Unamuno tried to create a philosophical discourse about faith and the reason behind the construction of the Sagrada Família… at one moment Gaudí no longer wanted to continue with the discussion and said: ‘The only thing I know is that I am a son of God.’
His spirituality was also perceptive and concrete: he saw nature as a reflection of the divine and used it as an architectural model, with organic forms and columns shaped like trees.
CHIARA CURTI
Architect and Gaudí biographer
He often likened himself to a monk. He would say, ‘My life is like that of a monk.’ In fact, he had a very regular life: Mass in the morning, work, this 'ora et labora' typical of monks. And in the afternoon, visiting his spiritual director every day, praying the rosary…
For Gaudi, the Sagrada Familia was not just a job but a mission; his masterpiece was not simply a product for a client but a gift for God.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the church will stand as a reminder of Gaudi's vision—that the Sagrada Familia is not merely an architectural monument, but a living space of worship and an artistic offering to God, the Architect of Creation.
