The cause for the beatification of Antoni Gaudí, the famous architect of the Sagrada Família, advances with the study of a possible miracle attributed to his intercession: the cure of a Catalan baby who had serious health problems detected before birth. The case, which occurred between 2023 and 2024, is already under review at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome, according to the postulator of the cause, Venezuelan religious Reniel Alí Ramírez Herrera.
Details of the alleged miracle
In an interview published by El Periódico, Ramírez Herrera explained that the documentation sent by the Archdiocese of Barcelona is being analyzed by experts. “The miracle is already under study,” he said, although he avoided giving precise details due to the initial phase of the procedure. However, he revealed that the alleged miracle involves “a child, a newborn” and that the Catalan family linked to the case received medical treatments in the Netherlands, Germany, and Barcelona. The health problem was detected during pregnancy, and the family decided to go ahead despite the complications. “Now the child already walks,” the postulator assured, suggesting a recovery that could be considered inexplicable from a scientific point of view.
Advances in the beatification process
Gaudí’s beatification took a key step on April 14, 2025, when Pope Francis declared the Catalan architect “venerable.” For him to be proclaimed blessed, the Church requires the validation of a miracle attributed to his intercession. The process includes an independent medical review that must determine whether the child’s recovery has a scientific explanation. Subsequently, the case will go through theologians, cardinals, and finally the approval of Pope Leo XIV. Ramírez Herrera considers it “unlikely” that the beatification could be announced during the next papal trip to Spain due to pending administrative and medical deadlines. Both he and Gaudí’s theologian and biographer, Armand Puig, place a possible resolution at the end of this year.
Origin and meaning of the cause
Gaudí’s beatification cause originated in the 1990s, driven by an association of laypeople led by architect José Manuel Almuzara, and not directly from the Church. Later, the Archdiocese of Barcelona formally assumed the process. Ramírez Herrera maintains that international interest in Gaudí and the spiritual dimension of the Sagrada Família have accelerated the procedure in recent years. “This cause will help discover how beauty becomes a path of sincere dialogue between believers and non-believers,” the postulator stated, highlighting the evangelizing value of the architect’s work.
Original source: www.diaridetarragona.com (published on May 10, 2026)
Photo: Marius Muresan on Unsplash
