HIDDEN in the Catalan woods, a mysterious chalet has finally been revealed as a Gaudí creation – more than a century after it was built.
Spanish authorities have officially confirmed that Barcelona’s emblematic architect designed the Xalet del Catllaras, a remote forest retreat in the Bergueda region, 125km north of the city.
Built between 1901 and 1908, the three-storey modernist chalet housed engineers, many of them British, working at a cement factory owned by Gaudí’s longtime patron, Eusebi Giell.
Gaudi was long suspected to be behind the project, but even scholars had doubts.
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At the turn of the 20th century he was at the height of his career, overseeing Park Guell (1900–1914), Casa Batllo (1904–1906) and Casa Mila (1906–1912), raising questions over whether he could also have worked in such a remote location.
Until now, there has been no definitive proof.
In 2023, a team of Gaudi specialists launched an investigation to finally settle the question. Researchers pored over 3D plans, historical documents and photographs, comparing them with confirmed works.
They identified distinctive arches, vaults, complex geometric layouts and rooms set at 45-degree angles – techniques not adopted by his followers until years later.
The building also incorporates plant and animal motifs echoing Park Guell and Casa Batllo, while anticipating his masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, where columns were famously modelled on tree trunks.
Experts also believe they have solved the mystery of why Gaudi never claimed the chalet. He did not supervise its construction, and the finished building appears to have diverged from his original blueprint.
At the time, architects often withheld their signature from projects that strayed from their plans.
The discovery comes in the centenary year of Gaudi’s death.
The architect died after being struck by a tram in Barcelona in 1926, and a series of commemorative events are planned this year to honour his legacy.
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