The Cultural Heritage Classroom at the University of Cantabria is dedicating its October programming to Antoni Gaudí and the origins of modernism in Comillas with a monographic cycle centred on El Capricho, which was constructed between 1883 and 1885.
The programme includes three lectures, to be held in the Fray Antonio de Guevara Hall at the University of Cantabria, and a guided tour of Gaudí's El Capricho. This initiative is part of the celebrations for Gaudí Year and examines the architect's work from various perspectives, including the artistic influences that preceded his career and the relationship between Gaudí, the Renaixença (a Catalan cultural revival), and the architecture developed in Comillas.
El Capricho serves as the focal point of the cycle as it is one of Gaudí's first significant works outside Catalonia and a site where he developed some of his early professional experiences.
The first session takes place today, 8 October, at 19:30, featuring a lecture titled “Before Gaudí: the Arts and Crafts Movement,” presented by Mariàngels Fondevila Guinart, curator at the National Art Museum of Catalonia, which will explore the artistic context prior to Gaudí.
On 15 October, also at 19:30, Mireia Freixa, emeritus professor of Art History at the University of Barcelona, will deliver a lecture entitled “At the Dawn of Modernism: Comillas and the Torre Güell of Les Corts,” focusing on the early steps of modernism and the connection between Comillas and the Torre Güell.
The third and final lecture will occur on 22 October, titled “In Search of a New Style: Gaudí and the Art of the Renaixença in Comillas,” presented by Antonio Sama García, a permanent lecturer in Art History at the Complutense University of Madrid, who will analyse Gaudí's presence in Comillas and his relationship with Renaixença art.
The programme will conclude on 31 October at 11:00 with a guided tour of Gaudí's El Capricho in Comillas, preceded by an introductory lecture by Carlos Mirapeix, director of El Capricho.
Tickets can be reserved through meapunto.unican.es. These activities are part of the Cultural Heritage Classroom's programme at the University of Cantabria, which is integrated into the University Extension Areas. This cycle completes the University of Cantabria's participation in the commemoration of Gaudí Year, which is coming to an end soon, and is complemented by a summer course titled “Gaudí in Comillas: Genesis of the Invisible Order,” which took place in July at CIESE-Fundación Comillas and had to expand its capacity due to high demand from a diverse range of participants, including technicians, engineers, architects, art historians, and individuals interested in artistic and cultural heritage.
The figure of Gaudí was also the subject of analysis in a round table discussion at the Comillas Foundation's Major Seminar, focusing on the Sagrada Familia. Both activities are part of the University of Cantabria's involvement in the Honour Committee in Cantabria for the commemoration of Gaudí Year 2026.
