This Saturday, the Gaudí Corporation of Triana took a historic step by inaugurating the Gaudí Space for America in the Parque Comunal Cataluña de Rancagua, an event that marks a milestone by hosting the only work by architect Antonio Gaudí outside of Spain.
In this way, the Gaudí Space for America opened its doors with the exhibition “Antonio Gaudí and his inspiration in nature”, sent by the Construction Board of the Sagrada Familia Basilica of Barcelona, in a ceremony that was attended by authorities, collaborators, businessmen, the Rancagüina and Catalan community, including the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, the Seremi of Agriculture Cristián Silva, the director of Conaf Óscar Galdámez, the regional director of Architecture of the MOP, Roberto Soto, among others.
At the ceremony, the executive secretary of the Gaudí Chile project, Beatriz Valenzuela Vantreek, read the greetings of Jordi Faulí, director of the Technical Office of the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia, who sent a message of congratulations highlighting the importance of continuing with the Gaudí Chile project. the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels in Rancagua.
Then, the Gaudí de Triana corporation recognized the collaborators who have contributed to making the new facilities a reality, while its vice president, Carmen del Río, expressed her satisfaction with the progress made over 28 years of work “Since we buried the image from San José, wonderful things have happened, a lot of support came and everything indicates that this is the place chosen for the sanctuary for Latin America to be built here.”
“WE WILL NOT MOVE FROM HERE UNTIL THE WORK IS BUILT”
For her part, the executive secretary of the Gaudí Chile project, Beatriz Valenzuela, indicated that “On the weekends this space will be open with a beautiful exhibition that came to us from La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the exhibition Antonio Gaudí and his Inspiration in Nature ”. He added “We decided to settle in the park that we have built, we have been doing this for so many years and we will not move from here until the work is built, we will never move again, so the call is for all of us, public and private, to collaborate, because it is We are going to move forward no matter what this year. We will campaign for donations of iron and cement, because we need that to begin the work of Father Aranda’s crypt and the Antonio Gaudí chapel.”
When blessing the place, Monsignor Guillermo Vera expressed “It is a great joy that all Rancagüinos should have to have this possibility of having a first-class architectural work that has all the spiritual force. I am very happy about the steps that are being taken, that the authorities and companies are committing and that we can all commit as a community to supporting this project that, without a doubt, will do us good as a city, the fact that we have a place where we can gather to pray, a place for reflection, a place that can lift our spirits, without a doubt it is something that we all need,” said Monsignor.
The Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, also highlighted the importance of Gaudí’s project in Rancagua “It is very important that thousands of people come to see this space so that they can measure the value of being the only place in the world where it can be built.” a work of this, perhaps, the main architect of the 20th century, Antonio Gaudí. This space is going to be a place of silence and serenity, something very necessary in times of stress and agitation, that is why as the Ministry of Agriculture, through CONAF, we are contributing to starting the Botanical Garden and the Forest that will be here. chapel,” he said.
Then the Castellers of Lo Prado made a spectacular presentation, this within the framework of Antonio Gaudí’s admiration for the castellers in front of the façade of the birth of the Sagrada Familia. The castells are one of the most deeply rooted traditions and cultural manifestations in Catalonia. They are human towers several stories high built by a group of people, who stack their bodies on top of each other and combine acrobatics and choreography, becoming a symbol of Catalan identity, being declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO.
The inauguration closed with the presentation of the Choir of the Catalan Community of Chile.
A SPACE FOR INSPIRATION AND CULTURE
The project for the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels in Rancagua has a history of almost a century. In 1922, Fray Angélico Aranda, a Chilean priest, asked Gaudí for a design for a chapel in Rancagua. The Catalan architect responded by sending sketches and authorizing its construction, although these sketches were lost in the Spanish Civil War. Fortunately, a copy of the designs was preserved in a book published by Isidro Puig Boada, a disciple of Gaudí, in 1929.
The construction of the chapel has faced numerous challenges, but the project has been resumed thanks to the efforts of the Gaudí Corporation of Triana and the support of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP).
Along these lines, Beatriz Valenzuela commented on the next steps for the project “We are waiting for the Ministry of Public Works to issue the Social Recommendation so that the resources can be committed and the work that is paralyzed and that we have all been waiting for so many years can be resumed. ”. He added “This year the MOP has to release the RS and obtain the necessary resources, there we call on the parliamentarians so that in the budget discussion they put it in the portfolio, this is politically transversal, it is a historical legacy, because it will be Antonio’s only work Gaudí in the world outside of Spain, there is no other place where there is a work by Gaudí, like the one we will have here in Rancagua.”
DURING THIS PERIOD THE FIRST STONE WILL BE LAYED
For his part, the regional director of Architecture of the MOP, Roberto Soto, explained the progress of the project “The MOP has been carrying out this project since 2009, when President Michelle Bachelet became interested in carrying out such an important project for the region, to Chile and for Latin America. In 2011 the design of the architectural project was completed. In 2016 we obtained the resources to carry out this work, but the minute the company was awarded the contract went bankrupt and we were only able to advance 2% of the contract.” He added that “In 2019 we launched a second bidding process, but unfortunately we were not able to award it due to budget availability. The challenge is that during this presidential period we can carry out the first stone of this new contract,” he explained.
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels will not only be an architectural symbol of Antonio Gaudí’s legacy in Latin America, but also a space for culture and community. The project includes a 29-meter-high temple, a crypt, green areas and a school of Arts and Crafts that will be managed by the Gaudí Corporation of Triana with the aim of creating an ecumenical and cultural center in Rancagua.
