June 10 is the anniversary of the death of the architect who imagined the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Antonio Gaudí. He was an exceptional artist, who died in 1926 at the age of 74 from an unexpected accident.
JOSE MANUEL ALMUZARA
Association Pro Beatification of Antoni Gaudí
'As he is crossing Gran Via de las Cortes Catalanas, a tram comes. The driver honked as a sign he was moving, so Gaudí pulls back. But, he doesn't realize another is coming in the opposite direction and he gets run over.'
At first, he was taken for a street bum. It wasn't until he made it to the hospital, that they recognized him. Antonio Gaudí died three days later.
JOSE MANUEL ALMUZARA
Association Pro Beatification of Antoni Gaudí
'The photographs of the burial are impressive in 1926. Hundreds of people from La Rambla in Barcelona to the Sagrada Familia, thousands of people walking with the architect, whom many already considered a holy man.'
José Manuel Almuzara is one of the promoters of Gaudí's beatification process. Elements have been gathered to show that the brilliant architect was a saint. He was a mystic, who sought God in the small details of his life.
JOSE MANUEL ALMUZARA
Association Pro Beatification of Antoni Gaudí
'He sought God through architecture, his way of working, his care for his relatives - his parents and his niece. Also, in his attention to workers as an important part of a job and much more.”
He was unable to finish the Sagrada Familia, but his models and documents have allowed it to continue. The builders dreamed of completing it in 2026, for the 100th anniversary of his death, but, the pandemic has slowed down the work.
