{"id":835,"date":"2026-06-22T15:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/three-lesser-known-antoni-gaudi-buildings-to-visit-to-mark-the-centenary-of-his-death\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T15:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:53:13","slug":"three-lesser-known-antoni-gaudi-buildings-to-visit-to-mark-the-centenary-of-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/three-lesser-known-antoni-gaudi-buildings-to-visit-to-mark-the-centenary-of-his-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Three lesser-known Antoni Gaud\u00ed buildings to visit to mark the centenary of his death"},"content":{"rendered":"
(L-R) Casa Vicens, Torre de Bellesguard and Cripta de la Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell<\/span> Ian Gampon\/Wikimedia\/Hans Nestru<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the second week of June, Pope Leo XIV made his first papal visit to Spain on a six-day journey to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. One of the key moments of his visit was a solemn mass, celebrated to inaugurate and bless the recently finished Tower of Jesus Christ, the highest element of the structure, which officially makes the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia the tallest church in the world at 172.5m.<\/p>\n

The date, June 10, was no accident, as it marked the centenary of the death of its architect<\/a>, Antoni Gaud\u00ed, who took over just a year after the foundation stone was laid in 1882. From that moment, Gaud\u00ed\u2019s professional and personal life were inextricably linked with the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, to the point that from 1914 onward he decided not to take other commissions. He moved into a small workshop on the site and worked obsessively on the project until his death.<\/p>\n

Most of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s buildings were designed and completed during his work at the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia. His two other most famous and visited works, Casa Mil\u00e0<\/a> (1906 to 1912) and Park G\u00fcell<\/a>(1900 to 1914), represent the peak of the architect\u2019s career and together with the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia describe Gaud\u00ed\u2019s singular universe at three very different scales. All three are must-see visits in Barcelona but, like the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, one should expect long queues and overcrowded spaces throughout 2026, as all sorts of events, symposiums and one-off exhibitions have been programmed to celebrate the A\u00f1o Gaud\u00ed.<\/p>\n

Still, during this special year, it is possible to visit Gaud\u00ed\u2019s work at a slower pace, avoiding long queues and overcrowded building projects. This may require additional planning, as some of the proposed visits require pre-booking and have limited visiting hours. The proposed itinerary is planned for one and a half days and explores smaller projects, tightly connected with Gaud\u00ed\u2019s final masterpiece.<\/p>\n

1. Torre Bellesguard<\/h2>\n
\n<\/figure>\n

Bellesguard tower is probably one of the hidden gems in Barcelona. Located in the upper-class neighbourhood of Sant Gervasi, the house was commissioned in 1900. The site has strong historical significance as it contained the ruins of the castle of Bellesguard, built in 1408 for King Martin I, the last monarch of the House of Barcelona (a Catalan dynasty, which ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon starting in 1137 till 1409). <\/p>\n

Gaud\u00ed\u2019s design for the house was inspired by the Gothic medieval past of the site, and it became a test bed for some of the most distinctive elements of his architectural language. For example, the redbrick parabolic arches of the attic, which would later be masterfully used in Casa Mil\u00e0\u2019s famous attic. Or the stone arches on inclined columns of the Bellesguard viaduct next to the house, which would later be seen in Park G\u00fcell and the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia\u2019s neo-Gothic structural solutions.<\/p>\n

The house has been owned since 1944 by the prominent Guilera family, who still live in part of it \u2013 it first opened to the public in 2013. As well as being a stunning example of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s work, visitors can get a perfect view of the city from its tower. <\/p>\n

It can be visited as part of a small group guided tour only, so booking<\/a> is required. <\/p>\n

Casa Vicens<\/h2>\n

Casa Vicens is considered Gaud\u00ed\u2019s first house, after a series of smaller works and partially built commissions. The house was built between 1883 and 1885, coinciding with the start of his involvement in the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, although its design started immediately after he finished his studies at the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1878.<\/p>\n

It was commissioned by the stockbroker Manel Vicens i Montaner as a summer house for his family in Gr\u00e0cia, then a small town close to Barcelona. The town was later engulfed by the city and is now one of its must-visit districts for its distinct urbanism and cultural character<\/p>\n

Like many other first-time commissions, this house is heavily influenced by the existing trends of the time such as Orientalism and Neo-Mud\u00e9jar (a Moorish revival architectural movement). But it also contains glimmers of his skills and his obsession with detail. The whole interior is a feast for the senses, filled with innumerable details and intricate decoration. For me, the smoking room is one of the most striking spots of the building, only 10m\u00b2 yet covered with a stunning muqarnas<\/em>, a volumetric geometric ceiling found in traditional Islamic architecture.<\/p>\n

Today, Casa Vicens<\/a> is owned by a private institution which restored the building and opened it to the public in 2017. It has daily visits \u2013 and I would build in time to explore the neighbourhood. <\/p>\n

3. Cripta de la Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell crypt is in town Santa Coloma de Cervell\u00f3, a short train ride outside the city. The town was a large industrial colony built around a textile factory owned by the industrialist Eusebi G\u00fcell. Gaud\u00ed was commissioned in 1898 to build the church of the colony, but work did not start until 1908. Unfortunately, after G\u00fcell\u00b4s death in 1918, the project was abandoned with only the crypt completed. The crypt was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in July 2005.<\/p>\n

In the crypt, Gaud\u00ed experimented with many of the structural ideas that were later applied to the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia, including the famous physical hanging chain models he built to figure out the complex curved shapes that would later be used in the basilica.<\/p>\n

Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell<\/a> is well worth spending at least half a day in. There is an exhibition that explains the profound links between the crypt and the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia. But an extended visit also gives you the opportunity to visit other buildings G\u00fcell commissioned from other modernist architects such as Francesc Berenguer i Mestres and Joan Rubi\u00f3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Javi Buron Garcia does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(L-R) Casa Vicens, Torre de Bellesguard and Cripta de la Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell Ian Gampon\/Wikimedia\/Hans Nestru, CC BY In the second week of June, Pope Leo XIV made his first papal visit to Spain on a six-day journey to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. One of the key moments of his visit was a solemn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}