The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, assembled in the South African city of Durban on 15 July 2005, resolved to include five works of the architect Antoni Gaudí, including the Crypt of the Colònia Güell, in the list of World Heritage Sites.

On the occasion of this resolution, the Colònia Güell Consortium and the City Council of Santa Coloma de Cervelló made public the following communiqué:

Today, 15th July, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, assembled in the South African city of Durban, has resolved to include the church of the Colònia Güell, together with other works by Gaudí, in the list of World Heritage Sites.

First of all, we wish to express the satisfaction that this declaration gives the people of the Colònia Güell and of Santa Coloma de Cervelló, and those of Baix Llobregat county at large.

We are all aware of the values of this work of Gaudí that the Colònia Güell has the privilege to possess. Even so, the declaration of World Heritage Site unquestionably entails a strengthening of its international acknowledgement, and this pleases us.

At this time we must recall and devote this acknowledgement to all the persons and institutions who have made it possible for this monument to reach our days: Eusebi Güell, who sponsored the construction of the church; all the workers who helped to erect it, stone by stone; the Sagrat Cor parish, which has given it life and, for many years, attended to its maintenance; the architects who, from the time following Gaudí to the present, have carried out interventions; the persons who have studied it and disseminated its knowledge throughout the world, and the people of the Colony and of Santa Coloma de Cervelló, who bear it in their hearts.

This declaration encourages us to persevere in the preservation of the building and in spreading the knowledge of this building to all the people of our country and of the entire world who come this corner of Baix Llobregat county to admire one of the greatest works of architecture.

For the people of the Colony, this building is much more than a masterpiece of architecture. As a church, here many men and women have been baptised or married, or have remembered the departed, and some of them have shared their faith. They have all walked here and enjoyed the surrounding area, and they have proudly brought their friends and relations to see it. For this reason, now that the Crypt has become a World Heritage Site, we also wish to recall that it forms part of the sentimental heritage of the people of this town.

Today we have received good news and we may congratulate ourselves for it.

The resolution of the World Heritage Committee reads as follows:

Resolution:

Spain - Works by Antoni Gaudí

To the Parc Güell, the Palau Güell and the Casa Milà in Barcelona, which were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984, four other buildings have now been added that were built by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) and are situated in Barcelona or its vicinity. Just like the three first-mentioned architectural jewels, the new buildings testify to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These monuments are the expression of an eclectic and very personal style to which their author gave free rein not only in architecture but also in gardening, sculpture and many other decorative arts. The four buildings that have been added to the World Heritage List are: the Casa Vicens (1883-1885), the Façade of the Nativity and the Crypt of the Sagrada Familia basilica (1884-1926), the Casa Batlló (1904-1906), and the Crypt of the Colònia Güell (1898-1905).

This resolution is supported by the mandatory report issued by ICONOS. The following comment on the restoration works is excerpted from that report:

“ The Crypt by Gaudí at the Colonia Güell was the only part of a large building project that was built. Subsequently, a provisional terrace was built over it, which gradually deteriorated. There have also been structural problems due to the fact that the pillars were not loaded as foreseen. In recent years, the structure has been subject to restoration, conserving and consolidating the crypt built by Gaudí, but replacing the provisional roof terrace with a new terrace structure and a new stairway. The project has generated a debate in Spain. Nevertheless, Gaudí’s work in the crypt is considered to have been correctly restored and has not lost its authenticity. The new terrace is based on modern design criteria, but it does not cause any visual problems for a visitor approaching the site. In fact, the overall integrity of the site has been retained in a reasonable manner.”

ICOMOS report for the World Heritage Committee