Gaudí Anniversary on June 10, 2026: UNESCO-recognized crafts from the Upper Palatinate bring color to the light of the Sagrada Família

UNESCO-recognized crafts from the Upper Palatinate bring color to the light of the Sagrada Família

Barcelona is currently focusing its attention on Antoni Gaudí: June 10, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of the architect’s death. A memorial mass is scheduled for that day at the Sagrada Família, followed immediately by the blessing and inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ.

While international media are reporting on Gaudí, construction progress, and the anniversary program, an often-overlooked part of this world-renowned structure comes from the Upper Palatinate: A large portion of the flat glass used as raw material for the stained-glass windows originates from our glassworks. The windows were crafted by the family-run glass studio J.M. Bonet, located in the immediate vicinity of the basilica.

According to the Spanish glass studio, the Sagrada Família features a total of over 50 large window groups in the nave and seven more in the crypt—together covering more than 2,000 square meters of glass. Thus, the glass is not a minor detail but plays a decisive role in shaping the spatial impression: light becomes architecture.

To this day, our company produces mouth-blown flat glass sheet by sheet —a process that demands experience, patience, and precise control. Traditional artisanal flat glass production was recognized as an intangible UNESCO cultural heritage in 2023. The fact that this rare craft is visible in one of the world’s most famous buildings underscores the value of a skill that cannot be industrialized. Only when crafted by hand does flat glass achieve this brilliance and its characteristic visual expression.

The history of the Spanish workshop carrying out the work on-site is also closely linked to the Sagrada Família. As early as 1930, Josep Marie Bonet, the grandfather of the studio’s current owner, Jordi Bonet, began working on the basilica. Among other projects, he oversaw the windows in the crypt based on designs by the artist Daríus Vilàs; following damage sustained during the Spanish Civil War, the windows were later rebuilt.

Since 1980, Studio J.M. Bonet has been producing stained-glass windows for the artist Joan Vila-Grau. Vila-Grau received his first commission for the Sagrada Família in 1999 from the then-chief architect Jordi Bonet (who shares the same name as the studio owner but has no family connection). Vila-Grau worked in a contemporary abstract style and utilized a broad color spectrum. According to the glass studio, flashed glass (treated with acid etching, among other methods) from Waldsassen was also used. In addition, different types of glass were combined—including mouth-blown and rolled glass; existing patterns were partially integrated.

The J.M. Bonet Glass Studio expressed great satisfaction with the collaboration and expressly praised the partnership with us. Particular emphasis was placed on the quality and expressiveness of the handmade glass pieces, as well as the reliable collaboration between the two long-established companies.