A new study has provided “objective and unequivocal” proof that Antoni Gaudí was the architect behind the Xalet del Catllaràs, a unique mountain chalet tucked away in the forests of La Pobla de Lillet. The finding solves a century-old architectural mystery, formally adding another work to the canon of Catalonia’s most celebrated architect. However, the research also clarifies that while Gaudí designed the project, he did not oversee its construction, which deviated from his original vision—explaining why he never publicly claimed authorship.
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The comprehensive, two-year investigation was commissioned by the Catalan government’s Department of Culture and led by Galdric Santana, director of the prestigious Càtedra Gaudí at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). Presented on Wednesday in La Pobla de Lillet, the study’s conclusions are based on meticulous documentary analysis, historical photographs, 3D scans, and comparative studies of plans, as reported by VilaWeb.
Architectural Fingerprints
Built between 1901 and 1908, the chalet was commissioned by Gaudí’s great patron, industrialist Eusebi Güell. Its purpose was to house the English engineers working in the nearby coal mines that fueled the Asland cement factory, the first of its kind in Spain. The chalet’s remote location, far from Gaudí’s bustling Barcelona projects, meant he delegated its construction.
The study identifies several architectural techniques characteristic of Gaudí’s work. These include access routes between rooms using 45-degree distributors and the now-vanished use of a cloister-corner vault. But the most revealing feature is a structural arch that Santana describes as a “calculated fornicle” or niche. This parabolic or catenary arch was designed to support the two upper floors—a technique so audacious for its time that the builders apparently lost their nerve. “It was so daring and so new that those who built the building didn’t trust it and added load-bearing walls,” Santana explained. “At that time, no one dared to do that.”
While the builders altered the structural support, they maintained Gaudí’s floor plan and distribution. According to Santana, this departure from the original structural design is the likely reason Gaudí, a notorious perfectionist, never claimed the building. It was common practice during the Modernisme period for architects not to sign works that were not executed faithfully to their original plans. The study suggests Juli Batllevell, a collaborator of Gaudí’s, may have been responsible for the on-site execution.
A Paradox of Creative Freedom
Despite being considered a “minor work,” Santana argues the Xalet del Catllaràs holds immense value because it “synthesizes Gaudí’s way of thinking.” Unconstrained by urban regulations or height limits, Gaudí felt “totally free” to apply his philosophy of modern architecture. The result is a paradox: a small, remote building that offers a pure expression of its creator’s genius.
The confirmation has been met with celebration in the Berguedà region. “Justice has finally been done,” said Enric Pla, the mayor of La Pobla de Lillet. He noted that the official certification validates “what the people of the town have always known,” passed down through generations. The town council, which owns the building, hopes to convert the chalet into a mountain refuge to ensure its preservation and keep it accessible to the public, including locals who have used it as a summer camp house for decades.
Hernàndez hailed the study’s rigor for clarifying what had previously been an “intuition transmitted orally from generation to generation.” She believes the official attribution represents an “exceptional opportunity” for the town and could become a “tourist catalyst” for the entire Berguedà region. She also emphasized the need for this potential tourism boom to be managed sustainably to preserve the rich natural environment surrounding the chalet.
The Gaudí Trail Grows
With the chalet’s authorship now settled, the town is working to certify another local treasure attributed to Gaudí: the Artigas Gardens. According to Mayor Pla, the gardens are already the most visited tourist attraction in the Berguedà, a testament to the powerful draw of the “Gaudí brand.”
The confirmation adds another layer to the ever-expanding universe of Antoni Gaudí, revealing a project born of creative liberty in the Catalan Pyrenees, far from the grand boulevards of Barcelona’s Eixample but no less touched by his singular vision.
