An elegant modernist chalet nestled in the mountains north of Barcelona, originally built to house engineers at a coal mine, has been officially confirmed as the work of Antoni Gaudí, Catalonia’s most celebrated and distinctive architect, reports The Guardian.
The Xalet del Catllaràs, located about 130 km from Barcelona in the Berguedà region, was commissioned in 1905 by Eusebi Güell, Gaudí’s lifelong patron. Güell, owner of a cement company with local mines, needed accommodation for engineers—many of them British—who helped extract coal for his factories.
While it had long been suspected that the chalet was Gaudí’s creation, no definitive proof existed until now. The building features hallmark elements of Gaudí’s naturalistic style, inspired by the shapes of plants and animals—motifs he would later expand upon in Park Güell and Casa Batlló in Barcelona. The chalet’s pointed arches also foreshadow the iconic Sagrada Família.
Sònia Hernández Almodóvar, Catalonia’s culture minister, emphasized that the attribution “is the result of rigorous research and holds enormous value for our heritage,” enriching Gaudí’s legacy during the centenary of his death.
The analysis was led by the Catalan heritage department under Galdric Santana Roma, chair of Gaudí studies. “After extensive research, we concluded that the Xalet del Catllaràs is indeed Gaudí’s work,” he said. “However, this attribution applies only to the initial stages of the project, as Gaudí did not supervise the construction, and the final building did not always follow his original design.”
Gaudí passed away on 10 June 1926 at the age of 73, three days after being struck by a tram in Barcelona. Numerous exhibitions and commemorative events are planned across Catalonia to mark the centenary of his death.
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