Pope to inaugurate Sagrada Família’s tallest tower on Gaudí centennial

Pope Leo XIV is set to bless the Sagrada Família’s central tower on Wednesday, June 10, marking 100 years since architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.sagradafamilia2026
The 14th tower was structurally completed on Feb. 20 after 144 years of construction, surpassing Germany’s Ulm Minster as the world’s tallest church.hcchotels
Full completion of the basilica, including an unresolved façade and interior work, is not expected until 2034, according to National Geographic.nationalgeographic

Sagrada Família Reaches Full Height, Set to Be Inaugurated as World’s Tallest Church

Barcelona’s Sagrada Família has reached its final height of 172.5 meters with the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ, making it the tallest church building in the world. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to bless and inaugurate the tower on June 10, the centennial of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.

A 144-Year Dream Realized

The last structural piece of the Tower of Jesus Christ was placed on February 20, 2026, in what the Sagrada Família’s construction board described as “an operation of millimetric precision.” The tower is topped by a four-armed cross made of glass and white ceramic, designed to shine day and night as Gaudí expressly wished. The 172.5-meter height is deliberate — Gaudí insisted no human creation should surpass God’s work, setting the tower one meter shorter than Barcelona’s Montjuïc hill.theartnewspaper

The tower is the basilica’s 14th to be completed, with the building eventually set to feature 18 in total. Twelve towers are dedicated to the apostles, four to the evangelists, one to the Virgin Mary — completed in 2021 and crowned by a star — and the central Tower of Jesus Christ. According to Guinness World Records, the basilica surpasses its nearest rival by 11 meters, overtaking Ulm Minster in Germany.guinnessworldrecords

Papal Inauguration on Gaudí’s Centennial

On Wednesday, June 10, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a solemn mass at the basilica and formally bless the completed tower. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will be among those in attendance. The date marks exactly 100 years since Gaudí died after being struck by a tram in Barcelona on June 10, 1926. He had devoted the last 12 years of his life exclusively to the project.sagradafamilia2026

Work Continues

Despite the milestone, the Sagrada Família remains years from full completion. According to The Art Newspaper, the inauguration marks the “symbolic completion” of the church, though work is expected to continue for another decade. Interior work on the Tower of Jesus Christ will continue through 2027 and 2028, and one entire façade — the Glory Façade — remains unresolved. The estimated final completion date is 2034.nationalgeographic