Álvaro Banderas.

The Friends of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) visited the Modernist Chapel of the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Tibidabo in groups of ten people, across six sessions held between September 15 and 30.

For them, well-acquainted with contemporary art, the chapel proved to be an extraordinary space, where they were able to admire the multicolored stained glass, the sculptural details, and the Modernist decoration that make it truly unique.

During the visit, participants learned about the history of the Temple and enjoyed an experience that weaves together art, architecture, and spirituality.

The Modernist Chapel, a small jewell of great value

The Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Tibidabo houses a remarkable piece of Catalan Modernist art, restored by the Salesian priest Fr. Antonio Pardo. The history of this chapel dates back to 1909, when Lutgarda Gener, daughter of the businessman Josep Gener, commissioned Joan Busquets i Jané to build two chapels: one for her residence in Barcelona and another for the Gener family palace in l’Arboç del Penedès.

The Busquets workshop had received significant commissions throughout its professional trajectory from Catalan bourgeois patrons and various institutions, although the creation of these chapels was considered one of its finest works. Collaborating with Busquets were other artists, such as Josep Pey, painter and decorator, who designed the marquetry for the chapel intended for l’Arboç, as well as some of the murals in the Parliament of Catalonia. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, who presides from the altar.

In 1949, the Gener Palace in l’Arboç passed into the hands of the Salesian Congregation, which adopted it as a novitiate, a house of formation for young men beginning the Salesian path. During the twenty years the Salesians lived in the Gener house, the chapel remained intact. But in 1969, before the Salesians left the building, the cabinetmakers of the Salesian workshops in Sarrià dismantled the chapel in order to ensure its preservation, since the palace was to be fully remodeled and converted into a private school-residence.

In 2014, Fr. Antonio Pardo envisioned that a space within the Temple of Tibidabo could house the work of Busquets. After arranging the transfer of the chapel’s elements and adapting the space, he personally supervised the reconstruction. Today, the chapel can be visited by those who use the Temple’s guest facilities—whether to celebrate the Eucharist, participate in prayer gatherings, or simply delight in contemplative artistic beauty.