Modernism

The Sagrada Família is Antoni Gaudí’s best-known creation and Barcelona’s most iconic landmark. Construction began in 1883, and today it is one of the world’s most unique basilicas. It covers an entire block in the Eixample district, and its towers are visible from much of the city. The crypt and the Nativity façade have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Gaudí spent more than forty years working on it and devoted himself to it exclusively during the last fifteen years of his life. The fact that it is his final resting place speaks volumes about the importance this work held for him.

He envisioned the temple as a grand synthesis of architecture, nature and religion. Its basilica floor plan features a Latin cross layout with three major façades (Nativity, Passion and Glory) and eighteen towers representing the apostles, the evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. The interior resembles a vast stone forest, featuring columns that branch out like trees and filter the light through the stained-glass windows.

For a long time, Barcelona's residents regarded the Sagrada Familia as a perpetually unfinished project. Following Gaudí's death in 1926, construction continued according to his plans and models, despite the destruction of some of the original materials during the Spanish Civil War. Over the years, various architects have continued the project right up to the present day.

On 20 February 2026, a major milestone was reached when the upper arm of the cross was placed on the Tower of Jesus Christ, marking the temple’s highest point. Thanks to the accelerated pace of work in recent years, completion of this iconic building is drawing ever closer. Construction is expected to be completed within the next decade.

Along the path leading from the Monastery of Montserrat to the Santa Cova, visitors will find a series of religious sculptures that make up the Rosari Monumental de Montserrat. It features fifteen scenes dedicated to the mysteries of the Virgin Mary, which were commissioned from renowned artists, and is one of the most significant open-air Modernist complexes of its time. Antoni Gaudí contributed to it with the group dedicated to the Primer Misteri de Glòria.

The architect blended his work into the landscape, treating it as a space that forms part of the mountain. He did this by enlarging a small natural cavity where he placed the figures. The path was also extended to include a small clearing and a stone bench that follows the contours of the land, inviting visitors to contemplate the whole scene.

The scene depicts the Resurrection of Jesus. At the bottom, an angel and the three Marys, sculptures by Josep Llimona, gaze upon the empty tomb. At the top stands the figure of Christ, the only one cast in bronze, flanked by a mosaic coat of arms of Catalonia.

Work on the Rosari Monumental began in 1896 and continued for more than two decades. Despite Gaudí’s initial enthusiasm, he grew increasingly detached from the project, and the work was eventually completed thanks to the efforts of his collaborators. The site was inaugurated in 1916 under the direction of Jeroni Martorell.

Nau Gaudí in Mataró, is one of Antoni Gaudí's earliest projects. It was built in 1883 and formed part of the Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense project, spearheaded by the industrialist and one of the leaders of the late 19th-century cooperative movement, Salvador Pagès, who was sympathetic to the ideas of utopian socialism.

The plan was to build a large complex comprising factories, housing and social facilities. However, only a few parts of this project were ever built, including the cotton bleaching warehouse, which is the only major building that has survived.

It is a large, open-plan space of almost 600 square metres, supported by thirteen wooden parabolic arches that hold up the roof without the need for columns. Innovative for its time, this solution showcases Gaudí's engineering ingenuity and his ability to create functional spaces with great architectural power.

Contrary to his best-known works, Gaudí opted for austere architecture that placed materials and structural elements at the forefront. Just a few metres from the warehouse, visitors can also see the outhouses, which are the oldest structure on the site. In this modest building, Gaudí was already experimenting with ventilation solutions and decorative details, which he would later use in his architectural designs.

Nowadays, Nau Gaudí is a museum dedicated to exploring the early career of one of the world’s most renowned architects and showcasing works by contemporary artists, courtesy of the Mataró Contemporary Art Consortium Museum and the Lluís Bassat Collection.

Pavellons de la Finca Güell marked the beginning of one of the longest-lasting and most fruitful patronage relationships in 20th-century Catalan art, between Antoni Gaudí and Eusebi Güell. Built between 1884 and 1887 on Avinguda de Pedralbes, these buildings form part of the monumental entrance to the Güell family’s summer estate, which no longer exists. The architect designed the gardens, the perimeter wall, the entrance gates and two pavilion buildings intended to serve as the entrance lodge and the stables. Pavellons Güell have been a National Historic-Artistic Monument since 1969.

The most iconic feature of the site is the large wrought-iron gate at the main entrance, shaped like a dragon. Like the one described by Jacint Verdaguer in his poem L'Atlàntida, this dragon represents the guardian of the mythical Garden of the Hesperides. Over time, this figure has become one of the most recognisable images in Gaudí’s world.

Two pavilions have been preserved within the grounds. On one side is a small but imposing gatehouse, whose octagonal plan, lantern-topped dome and combination of brick, stone and ceramic make it stand out. On the other side, in the stables, there is a structure featuring parabolic arches and a Catalan vault, and a riding arena topped by a circular dome. The roofs, covered with a primitive trencadís technique, and the richly ornamented façade foreshadow features that Gaudí would develop in later projects.

Not only did this early work impress Eusebi Güell, but it also laid the foundations for a unique and distinctive architectural language. Gaudí experimented with forms and material structures on the Pavellons Güell that would later become distinctive features of his work.

Porta de la Finca Miralles is one of Antoni Gaudí’s lesser-known works in Barcelona. It was built in 1901 on Passeig de Manuel Girona and formed part of the perimeter wall of industrialist Hermenegild Miralles’ estate, a property that no longer exists.

Only the entrance gate and a section of the wall remain from the original complex. The entrance gate is built of stone and finished with white trencadís and a wrought-iron railing that imitates reptile skin. The gateway features a large leaf-shaped arch surrounded by undulating shapes that appear to flow as if they were organic. The entrance is adorned with a distinctive three-dimensional wrought-iron cross. To one side, a smaller gate with its original railing has also been preserved.

Today, the gateway leads onto the quiet Carrer Francesc Carbonell street and has become a fully integrated part of the neighbourhood’s urban landscape. The site was restored in 2000 and also features a sculpture of Antoni Gaudí, by Joaquim Camps, which commemorates the architect’s legacy here.

Torre Bellesguard is one of Antoni Gaudí’s most remarkable projects in Barcelona. At the foot of the Collserola hills, the castle lies on a site with over two thousand years of history. Remains from the Iberian and Roman periods have been found there. It was also once a hideout for outlaws and home to King Martin I the Humane, the last monarch of the Casal de Barcelona.

In the early 20th century, Gaudí drew inspiration from that past to build a residence on the site for the Figueres family. The building is reminiscent of a castle, with ramparts, Gothic-style windows and a large spire topped by a four-armed cross. However, Gaudí takes a liberal approach to the Gothic style and combines it with his own architectural innovations, such as the use of slabs, ceramic mosaic benches and stained-glass windows.

The tower is built from greenish stone quarried from the site itself, which blends the building seamlessly into the landscape. Inside, the light-filled spaces, the staircase courtyard and the attics with exposed brickwork highlight the architect's ingenuity.

Declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1969, Torre Bellesguard is now open to the public, providing visitors with the opportunity to discover one of Gaudí’s most hidden treasures and the site’s long history.

Col·legi de les Teresianes is one of Antoni Gaudí’s most extraordinary creations in Barcelona, which is protected by a gate and surrounded by a garden, rising up as an imposing fortress-like building. This gigantic school is still in use more than 125 years after its construction.

Gaudí took over the project when the architect Joan Pons Trabal had already laid the foundations. Therefore, he retained the original square floor plan and transformed the building into what resembles a castle, drawing inspiration from “Castillo interior” by Saint Teresa of Jesús, the order’s founder. The architect redesigned the project while maintaining its original dimensions and added internal courtyards that allow natural light to shine through.

Unlike his other works, Gaudí faced a tight budget. As a result, he used brick as the building material and opted for a more austere decorative style. Nevertheless, the outcome is a grandiose building with highly expressive architecture.

The school has many of Gaudí's characteristic features, such as parabolic arches, spiral columns, wrought-iron railings and four-armed crosses. Listed as a Site of Cultural Interest in 1969, Col·legi de les Teresianes is today a fine example of Modernist architecture applied to the educational sector.

The great specialist in agroindustrial construction in Catalonia, Cèsar Martinell, made his "debut" in Rocafort de Queralt in 1918. The final result, full of innovations and architectural daring, was a great platform for his career.

The winery of Roquefort that we see today is the result of three projects carried out between 1918 and 1947. During the first years, it consisted of a building with two parallel areas and a perpendicular third area which was used as an unloading bay and machine room. Later this was enlarged with two more areas, the modernisation of the machine room, and a new water tank to replace the original.

But without doubt, the most decisive contribution was the use, for the first time, of the Gaudinian parabolic arch as the main support of the structure of the building. The original idea was to have the traditional wooden roof truss as a support for the gabled roof, but the economic circumstances of the time led the architect to change his idea: with the First World War, the price of wood had multiplied five times.

With regard to the "aesthetic" aspect of the winery, the tiling work used in the arches of the doors and windows is particularly outstanding as is the ceramic tiled frieze that runs along the cornice of the building. The main façade of the winery is perfectly symmetrical and highlights the huge window made up of three elements, with rampant arches and round arches. The door consists of a round voussoired arch which, in its time, was the support for the large window. This composition is repeated on the facade of the three areas.

This has to be one of the most beautiful works by the architect Cèsar Martinell. The winery of the Agricultural Union of Saint Isidre of Nulles, on the outskirts of the town, was the third commission in just one year for the most celebrated of the Catalan agricultural architects. With certain lines that remind us of Gothic art, the architecture of the Nulles winery is refined, monumental and elegant.

The structure of the building is slightly different from Martinell's previous works; the construction of Nulles comprises two areas measuring 21 by 18 metres without a separating wall between them. A slender, durable and lightweight "skeleton" that gives the feeling of vastness and allows one to create an open and orderly space. The winery has yet another space, a transversal nave with a simpler structure, based on metal trusses and a sheet metal roof.

The monumentality of the façade fully justifies the name of "wine cathedral". The double basilica area can clearly be seen thanks to its two identical, symmetrical fronts. It has a solid base of stone that runs along longitudinally, broken only by the two doors of each area. The portals outline a parabolic arch and protrude slightly to support the large windows situated above them (also parabolic arches and brickwork). The façade shows off the vertical brickwork pilasters, from the wall front up to the roof where the stepped finish form a symmetrical slope on both sides;  the blind arches and original corners of the façade made from brick pillars forming low relief are also outstanding.