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77-575: The museum was inaugurated on 14 April 1943; its principal promoter and first director was the historian Agustí Duran i Sanpere. It belongs to the City Council of Barcelona , as part of the Culture Institute. Beginning at the time of the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition there were several attempts and projects to create a museum about the history of Barcelona. MUHBA was the first of these actually to come to fruition. In 1929, during

154-498: A draughtsman for various architects and constructors such as Leandre Serrallach, Joan Martorell , Emili Sala Cortés, Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano and Josep Fontserè . In addition to his architecture classes, he studied French, history, economics, philosophy, and aesthetics . His grades were average and he occasionally failed courses. When handing him his degree, Elies Rogent , director of Barcelona Architecture School, said: "We have given this academic title either to

231-399: A divide without disrupting the feeling of open space by enclosing it with barriers. The Gothic Revival most influenced him, promoted in the latter half of the 19th century by the theoretical works of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc . The French architect called for studying the styles of the past and adapting them in a rational manner, taking into account both structure and design. This influence

308-693: A fool or a genius. Time will show." Gaudí, when receiving his degree, reportedly told his friend, the sculptor Llorenç Matamala , with his ironical sense of humour, "Llorenç, they're saying I'm an architect now." Gaudí's first projects were the lampposts he designed for the Plaça Reial in Barcelona, the unfinished Girossi newsstands, and the Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense (Workers' Cooperative of Mataró ) building. He gained wider recognition for his first important commission,

385-603: A native of Mallorca and therefore Catalan-speaking, responded to Gaudí in Catalan, thus breaking protocol in front of the King. Similarly, when philosopher Miguel de Unamuno visited the Sagrada Família, poet Joan Maragall had to translate Gaudí's Catalan tour into Spanish. Gaudí also spoke Catalan in public, although it had been declared illegal by Primo de Rivera , who tried to suppress Catalan culture. In 1920 he

462-539: A network of heritage sites, tending to provide through them a more complete coverage over the History of Barcelona . Since 2005 MUHBA has published the scientific magazine Quarhis (Quaderns d’Arqueologia i Història de la ciutat de Barcelona) as an updated successor to the former magazine Cuadernos de Arqueología e Historia de la Ciudad (1960-1980) MUHBA impulses a European network of city history museums and research centers on urban history (since 2010). The Museum of

539-625: A nursery school run by Francesc Berenguer, whose son, also called Francesc, later became one of Gaudí's main assistants. He enrolled in the Piarists school in Reus where he displayed artistic talent via drawings for a seminar called El Arlequín (the Harlequin). During this time, he worked as an apprentice in the Vapor Nou textile mill in Reus. In 1868, he moved to Barcelona to study teaching in

616-477: A taxi to the Santa Creu Hospital , where he received rudimentary care. By the time that the chaplain of the Sagrada Família, Mosén Gil Parés, recognised him on the following day, Gaudí's condition had deteriorated too severely to benefit from additional treatment. Gaudí died on 10 June 1926 at age 73. A large crowd gathered to bid farewell in the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the crypt of

693-713: A way to give expression to these forms in architecture. Some of his inspirations came from visits to the mountain of Montserrat , the caves of Mallorca , the saltpetre caves in Collbató , the Fraguerau gorge in the Prades Mountains behind Reus, the Pareis mountain in the north of Mallorca and Sant Miquel del Fai in Bigues i Riells. This study of nature translated into his use of ruled geometrical forms such as

770-672: Is Jaume Collboni . The opening session in which the Mayor is invested is traditionally held at the Saló de Cent . The Government Commission ( Comissió de Govern ; also Junta de Govern or Junta de Gobierno ) is formed by the Mayor, the Deputy Mayors, and a number of appointed councillors. The municipal council ( Consell Municipal ) is the body formed by the elected councillors of the Ajuntament . The plenary meetings ( Ple ) are held at

847-483: Is a style created by the compasses, a formulaic industrial repetition. Its stability depends on constant propping up by the buttresses: it is a defective body held up on crutches. ... The proof that Gothic works are of deficient plasticity is that they produce their greatest emotional effect when they are mutilated, covered in ivy and lit by the moon. After these initial influences, Gaudí moved towards Modernisme , then in its heyday. Modernisme in its earlier stages

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924-677: Is considered among Gaudí's finest works, is known as "House of the Dragon" due to its Georgian symbolism. Sagrada Familia is decorated with many words and writings, such as on the towers and doors, and are mainly in Catalan, such as the Lord's Prayer in Catalan on the main doors. The Palau Güell 's entrance is decorated with the Catalan coat of arms and a helmet with a winged dragon. His project for Barcelona's Muralla de Mar featured shields and names of battles and Catalan admirals. The Torre Bellesguard (1900–1909), former summer palace of King Martin I

1001-522: Is known as the Manuscrito de Reus (Reus Manuscript) (1873–1878), a kind of student diary in which he collected diverse impressions of architecture and decorating, putting forward his ideas on the subject. Included are an analysis of the Christian church and of his ancestral home, as well as a text about ornamentation and comments on the design of a desk. Gaudí was a proponent of Catalan culture but

1078-596: Is often depicted as unsociable and unpleasant, a man of gruff reactions and arrogant gestures. However, those who were close to him described him as friendly and polite, pleasant to talk to and faithful to friends. Among these, his patrons Eusebi Güell and the bishop of Vic, Josep Torras i Bages, stand out, as well as the writers Joan Maragall and Jacint Verdaguer , the physician Pere Santaló and some of his most faithful collaborators, such as Francesc Berenguer and Llorenç Matamala. Gaudí's personal appearance—Mediterranean features, dark hair and hazel eyes—changed radically over

1155-780: Is reflected in the Teresian College, the Episcopal Palace in Astorga, the Casa Botines and the Bellesguard house as well as in the crypt and the apse of the Sagrada Família. Nonetheless, for Gaudí the Gothic style was "imperfect", because despite the effectiveness of some of its structural solutions it was an art that had yet to be "perfected". In his own words: Gothic art is imperfect, only half resolved; it

1232-475: Is the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain . In terms of political structure, it consists of the invested Mayor of Barcelona, currently Jaume Collboni , the Government Commission, and an elected 41-member deliberative Plenary ( Consell Municipal ) with scrutiny powers. The Mayor is elected by the members of the plenary among its members

1309-410: The 1929 Barcelona International Exposition the municipality organized a temporary exhibition about Barcelona's past, present and future that constitutes the forerunner of MUHBA. In 1931, Casa Padellàs , a late gothic palace (15th-16th centuries) was moved stone by stone from its original location on Mercaders street to Plaça del Rei , in order to preserve it and to avoid its demolition because of

1386-614: The Auvergne region in southern France. One of his ancestors, Joan Gaudí, a hawker, moved to Catalonia in the 17th century; possible origins of Gaudí's family name include Gaudy or Gaudin. Gaudí's exact birthplace is unknown absent supporting documents, leading to a controversy about whether he was born in Reus or Riudoms, two neighbouring municipalities of the Baix Camp district. Most of Gaudí's identification documents gave Reus as his birthplace. Gaudí stated on various occasions that he

1463-619: The Benedictine monk Gregori M. Sunyol. On 7 June 1926, Gaudí took his daily walk to the Sant Felip Neri church for his habitual prayer and confession. While walking along the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes between Girona and Bailén streets, he was struck by a passing number 30 tram and lost consciousness. Assumed to be a beggar, the unconscious Gaudí did not receive immediate aid. Eventually passers-by transported him in

1540-707: The Casa Vicens , and subsequently received more significant proposals. At the Paris World's Fair of 1878 , Gaudí displayed a showcase he had produced for the glove manufacturer Comella. Its functional and aesthetic modernista design impressed Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell , who then commissioned some of Gaudí's most outstanding work: the Güell wine cellars , the Güell pavilions, the Palau Güell (Güell palace),

1617-541: The Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc (Saint Luke artistic circle), a Catholic artistic society founded in 1893 by the bishop Josep Torras i Bages and the brothers Josep and Joan Llimona. He also joined the Lliga Espiritual de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat (spiritual league of Our lady of Montserrat), another Catholic Catalan organisation. The conservative and religious character of his political thought

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1694-581: The Grand Palais of Paris was devoted to his work, during the annual salon of the Société des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Society) of France. Gaudí participated on the invitation of count Güell, displaying a series of pictures, plans and plaster scale models of several of his works. Although he participated hors concours , he received good reviews from the French press. A large part of this exposition could be seen

1771-587: The Park Güell (Güell park) and the crypt of the church of the Colònia Güell . Gaudí also became a friend of the marquis of Comillas, the father-in-law of Count Güell, for whom he designed " El Capricho " in Comillas . In 1883 Gaudí was put in charge of the recently initiated project to build a Barcelona church called Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Basilica and Expiatory Church of

1848-688: The Roman sepulchral way in Vila de Madrid square (found in 1954). The archaeological zone at the Plaça del Rei also grew, with new discoveries such as the Early Christian baptistery (1968). After Franco died in 1975 and democracy was restored in Spain (particularly since 1979), the role of the museum was reconsidered. The permanent static exhibition about the history of Barcelona in the rooms of Casa Padellàs

1925-407: The hyperbolic paraboloid , the hyperboloid , the helicoid and the cone , which reflect forms Gaudí found in nature. Ruled surfaces are forms generated by a straight line known as the generatrix , as it moves over one or several lines known as directrices . Gaudí found abundant examples of them in nature, for instance in rushes , reeds and bones ; he said that no better structure exists than

2002-570: The "Carles Pi i Sunyer" Hall. It is formed by the municipal councillors, elected through closed party list proportional representation . 41 councillors are currently elected on the basis of the population of the municipality. Councillors are grouped in Municipal Groups on the basis of their political filiation. The Municipal Council can also meet in Commissions (akin to parliamentary committees). A list of local elections (electing

2079-648: The Casa Figueras (Figueras house, better known as Bellesguard ), the Park Güell , an unsuccessful urbanisation project, and the restoration of the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca, for which he visited Mallorca several times. Between 1904 and 1910 he constructed the Casa Batlló (Batlló house) and the Casa Milà (Milá house), two of his most emblematic works. As a result of Gaudí's increasing fame, in 1902

2156-744: The Centre Excursionista de Catalunya in 1879 at age 27. The organisation arranged expeditions to explore Catalonia and southern France, often on horseback or on foot, covering ten kilometres a day. Young Gaudí suffered from poor health, including rheumatism , which may have contributed to his reticent and reserved character. These health concerns and the hygienist theories of Kneipp contributed to Gaudí's early decision to adopt vegetarianism . His religious faith and strict vegetarianism led him to undertake lengthy and severe fasts . These fasts were often unhealthy and occasionally, as in 1894, led to life-threatening illness. Gaudí attended

2233-573: The Church. Gaudí dedicated the last years of his life entirely to the "Cathedral of the Poor", as it was commonly known, for which he took alms in order to continue. Apart from his dedication to this cause, he participated in few other activities, the majority of which were related to his Catholic faith: in 1916 he participated in a course about Gregorian chant at the Palau de la Música Catalana taught by

2310-565: The Convent del Carme. As an adolescent, Gaudí became interested in utopian socialism and, together with his fellow students Eduard Toda i Güell and Josep Ribera i Sans, planned a restoration of the Poblet Monastery that would have transformed it into a Utopian phalanstère . Between 1875 and 1878, Gaudí completed his compulsory military service in the infantry regiment in Barcelona as a Military Administrator. Most of his service

2387-744: The History of Barcelona has several heritage sites spread all around the city. Most of them are archaeological sites displaying remains of the ancient Roman city, called Barcino . Others refer to medieval times and the rest cover the contemporary city, including old industrial buildings and sites related to Gaudí and the Spanish Civil War . 41°23′02″N 2°10′39″E  /  41.3840°N 2.1775°E  / 41.3840; 2.1775 City Council of Barcelona Opposition (31) The City Council of Barcelona ( Catalan : Ajuntament de Barcelona ; Spanish : Ayuntamiento de Barcelona )

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2464-463: The Holy Family, or Sagrada Família). Gaudí completely changed the initial design and imbued it with his own distinctive style. From 1915 until his death, he devoted himself entirely to this project. Given the number of commissions he began receiving, he had to rely on his team to work on multiple projects simultaneously. His team consisted of professionals from all fields of construction. Several of

2541-625: The Humane , was restored by Gaudí and its spire decorated the Catalan flag and the royal crown. He designed a project (not completed) to crown El Cavall Bernat (a mountain peak) with a viewpoint in the shape of a royal crown and a 20 metres (66 ft) high Catalan coat of arms. The Catalan flag was also present in a banner designed for Our Lady of Mercy of Reus and a monument (not completed) to Catalan politician Enric Prat de la Riba in Castellterçol . Even before he became an architect, he

2618-525: The Roman and late antique city together with the medieval royal palace in Plaça del Rei ( Palau Reial Major ), which includes the main hall called Saló del Tinell (14th century) and the palatine chapel dedicated to Saint Agatha (14th century) with its 15th-century Gothic altarpiece, a work of the medieval painter Jaume Huguet . Several rooms of the rebuilt Casa Padellàs also exhibited objects bearing witness to

2695-553: The Sagrada Família in 1915; the 1916 death of his friend Josep Torras i Bages, bishop of Vic; the 1917 disruption of work at the Colonia Güell; and the 1918 death of his friend and patron Eusebi Güell. Perhaps because of these tragedies he devoted himself entirely to the Sagrada Família from 1915, taking refuge in his work. Gaudí confessed to his collaborators: My good friends are dead; I have no family and no clients, no fortune nor anything. Now I can dedicate myself entirely to

2772-423: The Sagrada Família. His gravestone bears this inscription: Antonius Gaudí Cornet. Reusensis. Annos natus LXXIV, vitae exemplaris vir, eximiusque artifex, mirabilis operis hujus, templi auctor, pie obiit Barcinone die X Junii MCMXXVI, hinc cineres tanti hominis, resurrectionem mortuorum expectant. R.I.P. (Antoni Gaudí Cornet. From Reus. At the age of 74, a man of exemplary life, and an extraordinary craftsman,

2849-660: The School of Architecture. The collection also included Moorish monuments in Spain, which inspired many of his early works. He studied the book Plans, elevations, sections and details of the Alhambra by Owen Jones . He took various structural and ornamental solutions from Nasrid and Mudéjar art, which he used with variations and stylistic freedom. Notably, Gaudí observed of Islamic art its spatial uncertainty, its concept of structures with limitless space; its feeling of sequence, fragmented with holes and partitions, which create

2926-443: The accident that caused his death. Gaudí left hardly any written documents, apart from technical reports of his works required by official authorities, some letters to friends (particularly to Joan Maragall) and a few journal articles. Some quotes collected by his assistants and disciples have been preserved, above all by Josep Francesc Ràfols, Joan Bergós, Cèsar Martinell and Isidre Puig i Boada. The only written document Gaudí left

3003-501: The applied arts and artistic work, yielding an overtly ornamental style; the use of new materials, rich in contrasts, that sought a plastic effect for the whole; a strong sense of optimism and faith in progress that reflected the atmosphere of prosperity of the time, a bourgeois esthetic. Gaudí is usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works find their main inspiration in geometry and from nature. Gaudí studied natural and anarchic geometric forms, searching for

3080-474: The architects who worked under him became prominent in the field later on, such as Josep Maria Jujol , Joan Rubió , Cèsar Martinell , Francesc Folguera, and Josep Francesc Ràfols. In 1885, Gaudí moved to rural Sant Feliu de Codines to escape the cholera epidemic that was ravaging Barcelona. He lived in Francesc Ullar's house, for whom he designed a dinner table in gratitude. The 1888 World Fair

3157-702: The area of the Gothic Quarter; when he started his career he moved among rented flats in the Eixample area. Finally, in 1906, he settled in the house in Güell Park that he owned and which had been constructed by his assistant Francesc Berenguer as a showcase property for the estate. It has since become the Gaudí Museum. There he lived with his father (who died in 1906 at the age of 93) and his niece Rosa Egea Gaudí (who died in 1912 at age 36). He lived in

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3234-543: The author of this marvelous work, the church, died piously in Barcelona on the tenth day of June 1926; henceforward the ashes of so great a man await the resurrection of the dead. May he rest in peace.) Gaudí devoted his life entirely to his profession, remaining single. He is known to have been attracted to only one woman—Josefa Moreu, teacher at the Mataró Cooperative, in 1884—but this was not reciprocated. Thereafter Gaudí took refuge in his Catholic faith. Gaudí

3311-471: The columns so they could better resist the perpendicular pressure on their section. He also gave them a double-turn helicoidal shape (right turn and left turn), as in the branches and trunks of trees. This structure is now known to be fractal . Together with a modulation of the space that divides it into small, independent and self-supporting segment, it creates a structure that supports the mechanical traction forces without need for buttresses , as required by

3388-464: The councillors of the Plenary) since the restoration of the democratic system is presented as follows: A part of the management is conducted by entities wholly or partially owned by the Ajuntament : Gaud%C3%AD Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( / ɡ aʊ ˈ d i / gow- DEE , / ˈ ɡ aʊ d i / GOW -dee , Catalan: [ənˈtɔni ɣəwˈði] ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926)

3465-410: The course of time. As a young man, he dressed like a dandy in costly suits, sporting well-groomed hair and beard, indulging gourmet taste, making frequent visits to the theatre and the opera and visiting his project sites in a horse carriage. The older Gaudí ate frugally, dressed in old, worn-out suits, and neglected his appearance to the extent that sometimes he was taken for a beggar , such as after

3542-495: The crypt of the Colònia Güell and the Sagrada Família allowed Gaudí to add strength to his structures, given that the catenary distributes weight evenly, affected only by self-canceling tangential forces. Gaudí evolved from planar to spatial geometry , and then to ruled geometry . These forms allowed the use of cheap materials such as brick. Gaudí frequently used brick laid with mortar in successive layers, as in

3619-407: The day the new municipal corporation is formed after the local election. The officeholder has a mandate for the 4-year duration of the elected body. If the Mayor leaves office ahead of time a new voting may take place among the plenary members in order to invest a new mayor (meanwhile, another local councillor, conventionally the first deputy mayor, may act as acting Mayor). Since 17 June 2023 the Mayor

3696-417: The details as he conceived them. Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Gaudí's Catholic faith intensified during his life and religious images appear in many of his works. This earned him

3773-787: The following year at the I Salón Nacional de Arquitectura that took place in the municipal exhibition hall of El Buen Retiro in Madrid. During the Paris exposition in May 1910, Gaudí spent a holiday in Vic , where he designed two basalt lampposts and wrought iron for the Plaça Major of Vic in honor of Jaume Balmes 's centenary. The following year he resided as a convalescent in Puigcerdà while suffering from tuberculosis . During this time he conceived

3850-554: The history of Barcelona along late medieval and modern times, up to the early 20th Century: the city government and its regulations, the guilds, civic celebrations, wars and conflicts, crafts and trade, the International Expositions held in Barcelona and the growth and transformation of the city in the industrial era, among other topics. The museum gradually incorporated new sites such as the Temple of Augustus and

3927-453: The house until 1925, several months before his death, when he began residing inside the workshop of the Sagrada Família. Tragic Week in 1909 had a profound impact on Gaudí's personality. Gaudí remained in his house in Güell Park during this turbulent period. The anticlerical atmosphere and attacks on churches and convents caused Gaudí to worry for the safety of the Sagrada Família, but the building escaped damage. In 1910, an exhibition in

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4004-472: The idea for the façade of the Passion of the Sagrada Família. Due to ill health he prepared a will at the office of the notary Ramon Cantó i Figueres on 9 June, but later recovered. The decade from 1910 was hard for Gaudí. During this decade, the architect experienced the deaths of his niece Rosa in 1912 and his main collaborator Francesc Berenguer in 1914; a severe economic crisis which paralysed work on

4081-580: The image. Fantasy comes from the ghosts. Fantasy is what people in the North own. We are concrete. The image comes from the Mediterranean. Orestes knows his way, where Hamlet is torn apart by his doubts." Time spent outdoors, particularly during summer stays in the Gaudí family home Mas de la Calderera, afforded Gaudí the opportunity to study nature. Gaudí's enjoyment of the natural world led him to join

4158-467: The importance of the findings determined that this was the most fitting location for the historical museum planned since the 19th century, which would then become largely an archaeological museum. The Museum of the History of Barcelona was finally inaugurated several years after the civil war, in 1943, under the Francoist regime . The core of the museum was then centered on the archaeological remains of

4235-412: The neo-Gothic style. Gaudí thus achieved a structured and logical solution, establishing an architectural style that was original, simple, practical and aesthetic. This new constructional technique allowed Gaudí to achieve his greatest architectural goal; to perfect and surpass Gothic style. The hyperboloid vaults have their center where Gothic vaults placed their keystone, and the hyperboloid allows for

4312-435: The nickname "God's Architect". His cause for canonization was opened in the Archdiocese of Barcelona in 2003. Gaudí was born on 25 June 1852 in Riudoms or Reus to coppersmith Francesc Gaudí i Serra (1813–1906) and Antònia Cornet i Bertran (1819–1876). He was the youngest of five children, and far outlived the other two who survived to adulthood: Rosa (1844–1879) and Francesc (1851–1876). Gaudí's family originated in

4389-460: The opening of Via Laietana , an avenue that crosses through the old city to connect the new Barcelona Eixample with the port. While rebuilding Casa Padellàs on its new location, some remains of the ancient city of Barcino (Latin name of Barcelona) were found. Immediately, archaeological research was undertaken in the surrounding area, exposing a whole quarter of the Roman city. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) put an end to this research, though

4466-430: The painter Joan Llimona chose Gaudí's features to represent Saint Philip Neri in the paintings for the aisle of the Sant Felip Neri church in Barcelona. Together with Joan Santaló, son of his friend the physician Pere Santaló, he unsuccessfully founded a wrought iron manufacturing company the same year. After moving to Barcelona, Gaudí frequently changed his address: as a student he lived in residences, generally in

4543-421: The second half of the 19th century, brought more Gothic forms into the Catalan "national" style that aimed to combine nationalism and cosmopolitanism while at the same time integrating into the European modernizing movement. Essential features of Modernisme included: an anticlassical language inherited from Romanticism with a tendency to lyricism and subjectivity; the determined connection of architecture with

4620-449: The traditional Catalan vault , laying the brick flat instead of on its side or its end. This quest for new structural solutions culminated between 1910 and 1920, when he exploited his research and experience in his masterpiece, the Sagrada Família . Gaudí conceived the interior of the church as if it were a forest, with a set of tree-like columns growing into branches to support a structure of intertwined hyperboloid vaults . He inclined

4697-480: The treatment of materials, such as trencadís which used waste ceramic pieces. Under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modernista movement which peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme , culminating in a style inspired by natural forms. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and moulding

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4774-493: The trunk of a tree or a human skeleton . These forms are both functional and aesthetic, and Gaudí adapted nature to the structural needs of architecture. He used to equate the helicoid form to movement and the hyperboloid to light. Concerning ruled surfaces, he said: Paraboloids, hyperboloids and helicoids, constantly varying the incidence of the light, are rich in matrices themselves, which make ornamentation and even modelling unnecessary. Another element widely used by Gaudí

4851-508: Was a Catalan architect and designer, known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism . Gaudí's works have a sui generis style. Most are located in Barcelona , including his main work , the Sagrada Família church. Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion. He considered every detail of his creations. His work combined crafts such as ceramics , stained glass , wrought ironwork forging , and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in

4928-557: Was beaten by police in a riot during the Floral Games celebrations, a Catalan culture celebration. On 11 September 1924, National Day of Catalonia , he was beaten at a demonstration against the Catalan language ban. He was arrested by the Civil Guard as he traveled to the church of Sant Just i Sant Pastor to attend a mass in memory of Catalonian patriots. Gaudí refused to speak Spanish and kept responding in Catalan, stating that "My profession obliges me to pay my taxes, and I pay them, but not to stop speaking my own language." He

5005-488: Was born in Riudoms, his paternal family's village. Gaudí was baptised in the church of Sant Pere Apòstol in Reus the day after his birth under the name "Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet". Gaudí had a deep appreciation for his native land and great pride in his Mediterranean heritage for his art. He believed Mediterranean people to be endowed with creativity, originality and an innate sense for art and design. Gaudí reportedly described this distinction by stating, "We own

5082-504: Was closed around 1990. Since 1996 Casa Padellàs's rooms serve for temporary exhibitions that allow more dynamic overviews and crossed discussions about key subjects of Barcelona's history. Simultaneously, the archaeological area was completely remodelled and its museography updated, incorporating recent knowledge about the city in Roman and late antique times; the remodelled exhibit opened in 1998. In recent decades, MUHBA has put more focus on contemporary history while simultaneously growing as

5159-441: Was closely linked to his defence of the cultural identity of the Catalan people. At the beginning of the century, Gaudí was working on numerous projects simultaneously. They reflected his shift to a more personal style inspired by nature. In 1900, he received an award for the best building of the year from the Barcelona City Council for his Casa Calvet . During the first decade of the century Gaudí dedicated himself to projects like

5236-452: Was envisioned by Gaudí as a focus of Catalan nationalism and cultural aspirations. Gaudí inserted numerous Catalan motifs in the park, such as a large mosaic with the Catalan flag or the representations of dragons, which were seen as Catalan symbols during the Renaixença because of their connection to Catalan patron saint George . The Park hosted the First Congress of the Catalan Language during construction. Casa Batlló , which

5313-418: Was inspired by historic architecture. Its practitioners saw its return to the past as a response to the industrial forms imposed by the Industrial Revolution 's technological advances. The use of these older styles represented a moral regeneration that allowed the bourgeoisie to identify with values they regarded as their cultural roots. The Renaixença (rebirth), the revival of Catalan culture that began in

5390-452: Was inspired by oriental arts (India, Persia , Japan) through the study of the historicist architectural theoreticians, such as Walter Pater , John Ruskin , and William Morris . The influence of the Oriental movement can be seen in works like the Capricho, the Güell Palace, the Güell Pavilions and the Casa Vicens . As a student, Gaudí studied a collection of photographs of Egyptian, Indian, Persian, Mayan, Chinese and Japanese art owned by

5467-512: Was interested in the history of medieval Catalonia, when it was important in Mediterranean politics and history. He joined several Catalan associations, such as Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc , Lliga Espiritual de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat , Associació Catalanista d'Excursions Científiques . The latter was a group dedicated to preserving and celebrating Catalan art, landscape, culture, and language. Gaudí's professional life continually investigated mechanical building structures. Early on, Gaudí

5544-702: Was not constructed. In the early 1890s, Gaudí received two commissions from outside of Catalonia, namely the Episcopal Palace, Astorga , and the Casa Botines in León . These works contributed to Gaudí's growing renown across Spain. In 1891, he travelled to Málaga and Tangiers to examine the site for a project for the Franciscan Catholic Missions that the 2nd marquis of Comillas had requested him to design. In 1899 Gaudí joined

5621-630: Was not politically active. He refused suggestions by politicians such as Francesc Cambó and Enric Prat de la Riba that he run for deputy . His Catalan identity was less political and more geared towards art, history, culture, and language. Gaudí had a deep attachment to his native Catalan language . When King of Spain Alfonso XIII visited the Sagrada Familia , Gaudí spoke to him only in Catalan. Gaudí also refused to speak Spanish with Prime Minister Antonio Maura , who, as

5698-658: Was one of the era's major events in Barcelona and represented a key point in the history of the Modernisme movement. Leading architects displayed their best works, including Gaudí, who showcased the building he had designed for the Compañía Trasatlántica (Transatlantic Company). Consequently, he received a commission to restructure the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Council, but this project

5775-670: Was spent on sick leave, enabling him to continue his studies. His poor health kept him from having to fight in the Third Carlist War , which lasted from 1872 to 1876. In 1876, Gaudí's mother died at age 57, as did his 25-year-old brother Francesc, who had just graduated as a physician. During this time Gaudí studied architecture at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, graduating in 1878. To finance his studies, Gaudí worked as

5852-401: Was the catenary arch . He had studied geometry when he was young, absorbing numerous articles about engineering, a field that praised the catenary curve as a mechanical element, although at that time they were used only in the construction of suspension bridges . Gaudí was the first to use this element in common architecture. Catenary arches in works like the Casa Milà , the Teresian College,

5929-561: Was then taken to prison, and was released after paying 50 pesetas bail. Gaudí incorporated elements of Catalan culture in his works. Gaudí was part of the Catalan Renaissance ( Renaixença in Catalan), a romantic revivalist and cultural movement that aimed at restoring Catalan language and arts combined with an anti-Castilian political "Catalanism". Park Güell, which was commissioned by Catalan patriot Eusebi Güell ,

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