THE SACRED SPIRE: BARCELONA MARKS HISTORIC MILESTONE IN SAGRADA FAMÍLIA CONSTRUCTION

Exactly 100 years after the death of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona celebrated a moment over a century in the making. On June 10, 2026, the Sagrada Família inaugurated its central Tower of Jesus Christ during events commemorating the centenary of the legendary architect’s passing, with Pope Leo XIV blessing the monumental structure.

The road to this historic occasion reached a decisive moment earlier that year on February 20, when construction teams installed the final upper arm of the giant cross atop the tower. Covered in white enamelled ceramic and glass designed to reflect light both day and night, the 17-meter-tall cross brought the basilica to its ultimate planned height of 172.5 meters. This triumph followed an earlier landmark in October 2025, when the Sagrada Família officially surpassed Germany’s Ulm Minster to become the tallest church in the world.

First started in 1882, the monumental project has spanned 144 years of uninterrupted dedication. Generations of architects, engineers, craftspeople, and construction workers have carried forward a master vision created by a man who died a hundred years prior.

While the exterior of the central tower stands fully finished, interior refinements and remaining structural elements across the basilica continue. For millions worldwide who have known the landmark only through the scaffolding and cranes that surrounded it for decades, seeing Gaudí’s vision finally reach its peak offers an extraordinary encounter with living history.