Béatrice Bizot, 60, has lived in Catalonia for over 20 years. In early 2026, she completed her statue of St. Roch which will soon adorn the north facade's chapel at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Although she is French, this sculptor was born in Italy and has lived in countries on several continents: Italy, Australia, the United States, France, and Spain. "I’ve spent more than 40 years abroad," she says. She studied in Milan and apprenticed with a sculptor in the United States. Then, she put down roots and forged her artistic identity in Catalonia. However, she still maintains a cosmopolitan inspiration.
The famous Barcelona basilica, under construction since 1882, reached out to her. "They invited me, alongside a dozen other sculptors, to participate in a competition to create a statue of St. Roch." The rigorous process featured several stages, including scale models and explanatory texts. She had to include mandatory attributes like the dog, the staff, and the Camino de Santiago shells. However, she had the freedom to interpret his posture and expression.
Béatrice Bizot envisioned St. Roch kneeling in an attentive and benevolent posture. "I wanted him to be close to passersby, reflecting his life: healing the sick, humble, and universal."
Technology merges the life-sized sculpted elements. Stonecutters then cut the stone in a workshop north of Barcelona before the manual work begins. "That is where the magic happens," she says, "where the statue's skin appears, and the details come to life."
A sculpture "that welcomes"
The statue will be installed on the north facade, above the door of the Assumption chapel, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is currently under construction. Consequently, this image of St. Roch will be the statue closest to the street.
In a rare occurrence, the basilica entrusted this chapel's sculptures to three female artists, including Béatrice alongside two Catalan women. "It’s a wonderful surprise and an honor," she says. St. Joseph Oriol, a 17th-century Catalan priest, will accompany St. Roch. Both will watch over passersby, as close to the street as possible.
For Béatrice Bizot, a Catholic, St. Roch embodies the connection between the human and the divine. Born in Montpellier, France, he became a pilgrim on roads ravaged by the plague, acting as the saint of compassion. He healed the sick in every town he visited and eventually died in prison. "I wanted his generous attitude to shine through in his eyes," Bizot says.
She wishes above all to explore St. Roch's humanity and the universality of his kindness. "I freed one of his hands that usually holds the pilgrim's staff. His hand is therefore reaching out to the people. It doesn't beg, it welcomes."
"A living construction site"
Béatrice Bizot still remembers the emotion of her first visit 30 years ago, when the basilica didn’t have a roof yet. "It was magical to see this construction site, without imagining that I would contribute to it one day," she says. She praises the dedication of brilliant Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí, a "simple and ascetic man, dedicated body and soul to his work." She also admires the grandeur of this collective adventure: "Every artisan, every stonecutter brings their share to something very great."
The Sagrada Familia, on which construction began in 1882, remains a living construction site. Builders should finish the Assumption chapel in 2026, but the entire basilica won’t be completed for several more years.
Several events will set the pace for the upcoming stages. These include the chapel's inauguration, Leo XIV's visit to Spain, and the centenary of Gaudí's death in June 2026. The already finished statue of St. Roch is waiting to be installed in the coming weeks.
For Béatrice Bizot, this adventure is a unique opportunity to transmit, through stone, a vision of humanity that is open and turned toward the divine: "Everyone's spirituality is private, but there’s a desire to do good among all those working at the Sagrada Familia. That’s what makes this place unique in the world."
