François Picard is pleased to welcome Antoni Vives, former deputy mayor of Barcelona in charge of urban planning. According to Vives, the Sagrada Família is not simply an architectural masterpiece. It is a living demonstration of how authenticity, rootedness and transcendence can converge in a single human project. Its significance lies not only in its extraordinary design, but in its ability to connect the local with the universal, the contemporary with the eternal, and nature with all that's sacred.
For our guest, the enduring relevance of Antoni Gaudí's vision emerges from a profound conviction: that meaningful creation must grow from deep cultural and spiritual roots. What gives the Sagrada Família universal resonance is precisely its unapologetic Catalan character. By remaining faithful to a particular place, language and tradition, it offers something of value to humanity as a whole.
Watch more100 years after Gaudí's death, the Sagrada Família rises
The basilica also challenges modern assumptions about progress, ownership and collective purpose. Built across generations and funded by ordinary people rather than states or elites, it represents a rare example of a monumental work sustained by civic participation and shared aspiration. Its unfinished nature is a testament to continuity between generations.
At a time when mass tourism, secularisation and cultural homogenisation shape contemporary life, the Sagrada Família serves as a reminder that people continue to seek meaning. Whether religious or not, visitors encounter a space that invites reflection on beauty, nature, spirituality and the possibility of transcendence.
Its story suggests that what is most authentic in a culture may also be what speaks most powerfully to people across the world.
