The event “Art, Faith, and Beauty in the Work of Gaudí” took place on Thursday, May 21, at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. It was organized by the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia in Italy on the occasion of the “Gaudí Year.” One hundred years ago, on June 10, 1926, the brilliant Catalan architect passed away, and in recent months, the Jesus Tower of the Sagrada Família was completed. Reaching a height of 172.5 meters, it has become the tallest basilica in the world. On this coming June 10, during his trip to Spain, the Holy Father Leo XIV will celebrate Mass there and bless the tower. “We wanted to offer a broad and articulate look at the Catalan architect, highlighting not only his creative genius but also the human and spiritual dimension at the foundation of his work,” stated the delegate of the Catalan Government, Luca Bellizzi.

In her greeting, Professor Reyes, vice-rector of the University, emphasized the dual historical coincidence—the centenary of Gaudí’s death and the eve of the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV: “This meeting is therefore an ideal and anticipated welcome to the Holy Father to the city and to the home of the Catalan genius, which touches the innermost chords of the soul” and, as Benedict XVI said, he was a “brilliant architect and a consistent Christian.”

Jordi Roigé’s documentary La biblia en pedra (“The Bible in Stone”) was then screened, offering an exceptional perspective of the Sagrada Família thanks to footage captured by drones. “Gaudí’s true miracle is that the Jesus Tower has been completed, with everything that this represents,” said the director, emphasizing that the new challenge—after overcoming wars, pandemics, economic crises, and even demolition attempts—is “to avoid turning into a simple theme park. It must not lose its deepest essence: that of being a temple, a ‘Bible of stone,’ a place capable of bringing the people who contemplate it closer to God.”

Moderated by L’Osservatore Romano journalist Federico Piana, Professor Maria Antonietta Crippa and philosopher Lluís Clavell then engaged in a dialogue.

Crippa addressed several aspects of the construction of the Sagrada Família, beginning with the architect’s idea of wanting to surpass the Gothic style: Gaudí no longer used flying buttresses and contreforts, but rather a new construction system with innovative methods, including the use of catenary arches. “He is a great saint but also a great builder. The two things go together and must not be forgotten,” she stressed. She also recalled the importance of light in the interior, which “resembles a welcoming and bright forest, a construction that alludes to something natural,” as well as the importance of liturgy in Gaudí’s work. “A masterpiece that moves you,” she added. She then explained the meaning of the basilica’s three facades, noting that the Glory facade, the last one still to be built, “will have to represent what the purpose of our life is: to participate in the glory of God.”

Monsignor Clavell highlighted the origin of the expiatory temple promoted by “Josep Bocabella, a humble bookseller born in Sant Cugat del Vallès: Pius IX advised him to go to Loreto. Few people know it, but the project was born there.” He then emphasized Gaudí’s relationship with the Eucharist, which “explains much of his journey and was nourished by the liturgical renewal.” Finally, quoting Benedict XVI, Clavell explained that Gaudí “transmits a great unity through shared beauty. It is also Pope Leo’s desire for unity and peace that is realized in the contemplation and prayer that is the Sagrada Família. Gaudí healed the rift between human consciousness and Christian consciousness through shared beauty,” he concluded.

The closing panel featured architect Chiara Curti, author of several works on Gaudí, including My Gaudí: The Biography Written by His Friends and the forthcoming Gaudí Vivo, to be published by Edizioni Ares. In her speech, she outlined four aspects of Gaudí: his childhood, how he worked, his vision of art, and the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Barcelona. The aspects related to the young architect were particularly interesting: a knowledge of his life from the very beginning, thanks to many testimonies, “ensures that anyone who approaches Gaudí does not perceive him as a genius figure detached from relationships and life, but as a dear person, someone close.” Regarding the Pope’s upcoming trip, Curti noted that he is not going to give “his imprimatur to a finished work. We still do not know when it will be finished, nor how. Pope Leo places the emphasis on the journey—on the fact that we are part of the History of Salvation and that the life of the Church is today. That the Church is a pilgrim in the world, drawn toward God, just like the Sagrada Família itself.”