Gaudí: God’s Architect

‘This riveting portrait brings together as a compelling whole the triumphs and tragedies of Gaudí’s life’ Antonia Fraser

‘In daring to trace the complex connections between Gaudí’s religious faith and his famous buildings, this is an enriching, nuanced book’ Tobias Jones

‘Stanford aims to bring together the two sides of Gaudí’s legacy that are often looked separately - his faith and his archirecture’ Amy Peacock: dezeen

‘Peter Stanford’s riveting Gaudí is a must-read for anyone pondering the role of faith in our psychological health - which should mean all of us’ Rachel Kelly: The Tablet’s Summer Reading selection

‘Stanford is writing more than a hagiography…He conveys exactly what kind of visionary Gaudí was’ Ethan Meyers: The Banner (US)

‘Gaudí had God himself as the builder. This outstanding book tells his story through his buildings’ Kristeligt Dagblad (Denmark)

‘A gifted writer, Peter Stanford tells this story with real sympathy. It is hard not to be beguiled by his genuine enthusiasm, as he recounts a kind of pilgrimage. Anyone who plans a similar trip should pack this handsome volume’ William Whyte, Professor of Social and Architectural History at Oxford University: Church Times

‘fascinating, insightful and scholarly’ Mark McGinness: Catholic Herald

‘beautifully written and gloriously illustrated masterwork on Gaudí’’ Gyles Brandreth

‘I’m fascinated by Gaudí and a resident of Barcelona. It’s an engaging read throughout. I particularly like the parts detailing Gaudí’s relationships with his patrons. Recommended’ the_poisonwood_reader

‘A welcome addition on his long life and achievements to literature in English’ Country Life

Antoni Gaudí’s architecture is among the world’s most instantly recognisable sights. His still unfinished basilica, La Sagrada Família welcomes five million visitors annually. Yet in this the centenary year of his death - knocked down in the street by a tram, mistaken for a tramp and spending his last hours in a paupers’ hospital - much about this unworldly genius remains a mystery, not least the source of inspiration to create extraordinary buildings that stand in a place of honour of their own in the canon of architecture.   His explanation – that the fount of his imagination was God – sits uncomfortably alongside his modern-day fame in a secular world that nonetheless celebrates him.

In reconnecting Gaudí’s peerless architecture with the highs and lows of his faith, Peter Stanford walks in his footsteps through Barcelona, retracing his life through the buildings, parks and landscapes he admired and those that he created.  Join him on Gaudí’s journey from the Catalan countryside, where his love affair with nature began, to becoming a celebrated figure in the booming industrial city of Barcelona, with its extremes of rich and poor - and its undercurrent of violence and anti-clericalism that almost left La Sagrada Família an unfinished folly. Tragedy, loss and depression stalked his life, but reinforced his belief that his work was a religious vocation, prompting contemporary moves by the Vatican towards declaring him a saint.