After over a century, Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Família basilica reached its peak height on Friday. A 17-metre-high white cross now stands on top of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the church’s central piece.
“Today was a day we had been eagerly awaiting. Everything has gone well, very well,” head architect Jordi Fauli told reporters.
As planned by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the cross has four arms, enabling it to be recognised from any direction.
The interior of the Tower of Jesus Christ remains under construction, and its exterior is still surrounded by cranes and scaffolding. However, only for a few more months, as the church announced that the scaffolding is expected to be removed in time for its inauguration in June.
The event will coincide with the centenary of the death of Gaudí, with the Tower of Jesus Christ scheduled to be blessed on 10 June.
Rumours are circulating that Pope Leo XIV will attend, but the Vatican has not yet confirmed any plans for a visit to Spain.
The Tower of Jesus Christ, which now stands at 172.5 meters above the city, is one of the 18 towers originally conceived by Gaudí.
He designed the Sagrada Família more than 140 years ago, with the first stone of the monument placed in 1882. Gaudí, however, never expected the church to be completed in his lifetime.
World’s tallest church
The world-famed church faced many fallbacks resulting in the delay of its completion, from the Spanish Civil War to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Sagrada Família already became the world’s tallest church last October after another part of its central tower was lifted into place, rising above the spire of Germany’s Ulm Minster, a Gothic Lutheran church built over more than 500 years.
Millions of tourists visit the iconic monument each year, with roughly 4.8 million tickets sold in 2024. Its entrance fees largely fund the ongoing construction, as the full completion of the church is still expected to take a decade’s time.