The city of Reus has paid a new tribute to the venerable Antoni Gaudí with the inauguration and blessing of a statue dedicated to the brilliant Catalan architect, installed next to the prioral church of Sant Pere Apòstol, where he was baptized 174 years ago. The event, held on June 26, is part of the Gaudí Year, which commemorates the centenary of his death.
According to the Archdiocese of Tarragona, the blessing was presided over by Archbishop Joan Planellas and included the participation of the prior of Reus, Fr. Joaquim Fortuny; the parish priest of the Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Fr. Josep Maria Turull, accompanied by a group of pilgrims; as well as priests from various parishes in the city, municipal representatives, members of the association Amics de Gaudí de Reus and numerous faithful. The sculpture, the work of sculptor and jeweler Joan Serramià, depicts Gaudí working on the model of the façade of the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Misericòrdia, a project designed by the architect himself.
A tribute on the anniversary of his baptism
The date chosen for the inauguration was no coincidence. On June 26, 174 years had passed since Antoni Gaudí’s baptism at the prioral church of Sant Pere in Reus, where a Eucharist was later celebrated, presided over by the Archbishop of Tarragona.
During the homily, Planellas recalled the recent apostolic visit of Leo XIV to Barcelona, in which the Pontiff blessed the Jesus tower of the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. Echoing the Pope’s words, he highlighted that the architect’s work constitutes “a permanent praise to the Creator,” having placed “all his talent, art and architecture at the service of the praise of God.”
“Gaudí must be an example of Christian life”
The archbishop focused much of his preaching on the spiritual dimension of the architect, whose cause for canonization continues to advance after Pope Francis authorized the decree last April recognizing his heroic virtues and proclaiming him venerable.
Planellas recalled that Gaudí’s baptism, “like that of any of us, was the gateway and the beginning of the Christian vocation; it was his birth into the new life of Christ.”
From this reflection, he invited the congregation to contemplate the architect not only as a genius of art, but also as a model of holiness.
“The venerable Antoni Gaudí must be an example of Christian life, of commitment, of austerity, of work and of praise to creation and the Creator,” he stated.
The prelate added that all human activity is called to be oriented toward God.
“Everything we do we must do in the name of Jesus to praise God the Father, whether through prayer, our actions, our words or our projects. That is exactly what Gaudí did and what we are all called to do as Christian people, as parish communities and as a Church that is on pilgrimage in this city,” he noted.
Music, gratitude and a prayer for his canonization
During the offertory, images of some of the architect’s most emblematic works were presented before the altar. After Communion, the organ composition La pedra de Gaudí esdevé oració, by composer Josep Enric Peris, was premiered, performed by the composer himself.
At the end of the celebration, the prior of Reus thanked those who have promoted the various initiatives of the Gaudí Year, while the president of the association Amics de Gaudí de Reus, Maite Gaudí, described the new monument as “an act of memory, gratitude and recognition toward a universal figure who never forgot his roots.”
The day concluded with the recitation of the prayer asking for the canonization of the venerable Antoni Gaudí, a cause that continues to arouse growing interest both in Catalonia and throughout the Church.