Gaudi – put his stamp on his native city

Antoni Gaudi, the Catalan architect whose memorably individual structures and decorations are an integral part of Barcelona was born 25 June 1852 9.30am Reus, Spain. His most famous work the unfinished church of Sagrada Familia is Spain’s most visited monument. A modernist, he was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion and he added into his buildings his own designs in ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry.

Deeply and obsessively religious he was dubbed “God’s Architect.”  His spiritual fervour kept him single throughout his life and sent him on extended fasts which were damaging to his health. Latterly he dressed shabbily which was why when knocked down in the street aged 74 he was assumed to be a beggar and not treated properly until next day by which time it was too late.

He had a complicated and talented chart with a creative and overly emotional Water Grand Trine of Neptune in Pisces trine Jupiter in Scorpio trine North Node and Sun in Cancer, formed into two Kites with Neptune opposition Mars and Jupiter opposition Saturn Uranus in Taurus. He would live inside his own bubble of fantasy and imagination; with a partial outlet through religion with his Saturn Uranus and Pluto in Taurus in his 9^th giving his beliefs a tangible display.

His Libra Moon is not well aspected being only square his Sun and inconjunct his 7^th house Neptune; with his Venus in the hidden 12^th square his 9^th house Pluto, Uranus, Saturn – so not an easy emotional life. He was evidently only attracted to one woman in his life but it was not reciprocated. That was in 1884 when his Solar Arc Venus was conjunct his Mars for a spark of passion; his Solar Arc Neptune was just over the opposition to his Moon softening his defences; with the Solar Arc Sun almost conjunct his Venus for a significant relationship. But it wasn’t to be and he went back to his ascetic life.

He and Salvador Dali, another modernist, are the region’s two most famous artistic sons.  Gaudi with his innovative Uranus Pluto conjunction and Dali with his revolutionary Uranus opposition Pluto.  They certainly left their mark.