The Sagrada Família in Barcelona will construct a 20-metre monument dedicated to Bishop Josep Torras i Bages, based on an original design by Antoni Gaudí. The Patronat de la Sagrada Família has agreed to build the structure, which Gaudí conceived over a century ago.
Gaudí and Torras i Bages shared a close friendship and mutual admiration. In 1894, during a period of spiritual crisis for Gaudí, the bishop encouraged him to continue his work on the Sagrada Família, reportedly telling him, “You have to finish the Sagrada Família, it is your duty to humanity.” Gaudí was later deeply affected by Torras i Bages' final pastoral letter, 'La ciència del patir' (The Science of Suffering), which inspired him to dedicate a grand monument to the Bishop of Vic.
The monument will be located next to the Passion Façade, as Gaudí intended. Esteve Camps, delegate president of the Board of Trustees of the Sagrada Família, confirmed the decision. He noted that Gaudí left a sketch for the monument, and architects like Jordi Bonet i Armengol and Armand Puig have worked extensively on Gaudí's original concept.
Reviving a Century-Old Vision
Jordi Bonet i Armengol, who served as director and coordinator of the Sagrada Família works from 1985 to 2012, presented a detailed project for the monumental ensemble at the first world congress on Gaudí in 2014. This proposal, nearly 20 metres high, featured a cross at its summit and a bust of the bishop at its base. The bust was originally commissioned by Gaudí in 1916 after Torras i Bages' death, but it was destroyed in the 1936 fire at the basilica's workshop.
Bonet developed his study from a preserved photograph of Gaudí's original drawing. The initial aim was to complete the monument by 2016, marking the centenary of Torras i Bages' death, but the project did not proceed at that time. Now, twelve years later, and coinciding with the centenary of Gaudí's own death, the Foundation's Board has decided to move forward with the construction.
Future Plans and Significance
While the project has been approved, specific details such as the construction timeline, the final form of the sculptural ensemble, and its definitive height are yet to be finalised. When Bonet presented the project in 2014, he referred to a height of almost 20 metres. The sculptural group will be placed, as Gaudí envisioned, between the portico of the Passion Façade and the entrance to the Crypt, near Sardenya Street.
Its installation is planned after the construction of the horseshoe-shaped staircase, similar to the one on the Nativity Façade, which is still pending. Tate Cabré, a scholar of Gaudí's work, highlighted Torras i Bages' influence, stating he was not only Gaudí's spiritual guide and a champion of religious Catalanism but also an important figure in advancing Gaudí's architectural career in the Sagrada Família, Vic, and Manresa. Joan Maluquer, current president of the Lliga d’Espiritualitat de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat, an organisation founded by Torras i Bages, also supports the monument's construction.
