The Church has declared the Catalan architect Gaudí to be venerable

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Vatican - The Roman Catholic Church today proclaimed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí as venerable. Pope Francis recognized his heroic virtues and entrusted the Vatican authorities with issuing the relevant decree. This was reported by the AFP agency, citing a statement from the Vatican.

Gaudí, nicknamed the Divine Architect, is primarily known for the construction of the Sagrada Família temple in Barcelona. The declaration of venerability is the first step in the Church toward beatification and eventual canonization. The process of declaring Gaudí blessed began in Rome in 2003.

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) considered the construction of the temple "as a mission entrusted to him by God, and with this awareness, he transformed the original neo-Gothic design into something different and original," wrote the Vatican News portal.

At the end of 2021, a new 138-meter-high tower of the still unfinished temple was unveiled, and at its peak, a huge glass star was lit. "May this star, which will shine here from today, illuminate us," Pope Francis stated at that time in a video message. He also expressed the wish that the star would inspire daily acts of love, brotherhood, and help for those in greatest need.

In 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Sagrada Família temple. This made the building a basilica for the first time after 128 years since the laying of the first stone in 1882, where traditional masses, including the Eucharist, can be held. The Pope praised Gaudí's genius, who "inspired by the fervor of his Christian faith was able to transform this church into a stone praise of God," wrote AFP.

This February, representatives of the company organizing the completion of the temple stated that construction is entering its final phase this year. Gaudí himself claimed that the temple "would only be completed by Saint Joseph."