He lived in Paris for 62 years, working in trade and then in finance, together with his brother Pere, whom he succeeded as chairperson of the P. Gil banking house in 1867.

In his will he donated money for the building of a civil hospital that was to be called Sant Pau. A competition was organised for plans for the new hospital, an extension of the existing Hospital de la Santa Creu in El Raval neighbourhood of Barcelona.

The competition was won by the architect J. Domènech i Estapà, but his plans were turned down, as they did not fully comply with the new rules on standards of hygiene and the architect L. Domènech i Montaner was commissioned to draw up a new set, a task which he accepted. Work on the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul, Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167) began in 1902 and ended in 1930.