The end of the 144-year construction of the Sagrada Familia with the Tower of Jesus

It's inevitable - everyone looks up. When visitors arrive at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, their eyes instinctively follow the surreal, twisted lines of the basilica's sculpted towers until they reach the top of each needle.

Now, the eyes are higher than ever. More than 144 years after construction began, the world's tallest church reached its final height of 172.5 meters (566 feet) in February with the installation of its last major structural element: a cross atop the central tower of Jesus Christ.

Delayed by wars, politics and lack of funds, the imposing - but unfinished - presence of the Sagrada Familia dominated Barcelona's skyline for decades. Now, the long-awaited final tower is finally ready for its inauguration.

On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV - the 11th pontiff to reign since the project began - will celebrate a Solemn Mass and a ceremonial blessing. Although there are still years of non-structural work ahead, 2026 has long been touted as the year of this official grand opening. The inauguration of the 18th tower marks exactly 100 years since the death of the church's visionary architect, Antoni Gaudí.

A triumph of color, craftsmanship and extraordinary geometry, the Sagrada Familia is a monument not only to faith but also to Gaudí's reverence for nature and his mastery of complex engineering. Its completion is a testament to the efforts of countless designers and architects who needed to decipher the church's plans, which were largely destroyed in the 1930s.

In a way, the complexity of the project was encapsulated by this last piece of the architectural puzzle. With its brilliant white surface that reflects the scorching Spanish sun, the cross that crowns the Tower of Jesus Christ (the other 17 towers are dedicated to the 12 apostles, the four evangelists and the Virgin Mary) is as tall as a five-story building and weighs around 100 tons. Its installation was a complex process that took months.

According to Mauricio Cortés, the architect responsible, Gaudí had imagined a reflective cross that would shine during the day and illuminate the horizon at night. Cortés, like all of his predecessors, faced two major challenges: staying true to Gaudí's vision and, at the same time, meeting rigorous engineering demands - in this case, ensuring that the tower's spire remained relatively light.

The cross was manufactured in Germany and delivered to Spain in 14 pre-cast sections of concrete and stainless steel. This last material, although not widely used in Gaudí's time, guaranteed the necessary resistance while reducing the total weight. This convergence between history and modernity was one of the many delicate consensuses necessary to get the architect's project off the ground.

Once in Barcelona, each section was lifted by crane to a workshop located 60 meters (200 feet) high, high above the basilica's central nave. There, workers finished the pieces with an internal stone finish, white glazed ceramic cladding and stained glass windows with locally sourced glass, before the structure was assembled and raised to its final position.

"Obviously times have changed - technology has evolved, as have regulations," Cortés told CNN during a guided tour of the basilica before the inauguration. But the Mexican architect is confident that the church remains faithful to Gaudí's original vision. "We are sure that we are very close [to his plans] abroad," he added. "Inside, as he did not define it in detail, there is more room for interpretation."

Gaudí's project has come to fruition - Maria Contreras Coll for CNN via CNN Newsource
Faith in the heights
From the privileged point of view of the suspended workshop, it is possible to see not only the entire city, but also the tallest architectural elements of the basilica. The ceiling of the central nave explodes with color, with its pediments decorated in vibrant ceramics. The bell towers atop the Nativity and Passion facades-immense walls that tell their respective biblical narratives in ornate stone-are crowned with insignia-like spiers made from mosaics of sparkling Venetian glass.

It's a sight that Gaudí knew he would never see in his lifetime. When he took over the project in place of architect Francesc de Paula Villar, who resigned after a disagreement with the project's creator, he understood that he would not live to see it completed. The scale and complexity of his vision made this nearly impossible.

"My client is in no hurry", replied Gaudí in a phrase that became famous when asked about completion deadlines. His client was not the creator of the work nor the faithful of Barcelona: it was God.

The Catalan architect lived long enough to see the first tower completed. But he could never have predicted the obstacles that would delay the project after his death in 1926.

Two factors were particularly detrimental to the progress of the works: money and the Spanish Civil War.

The country was plunged into chaos ten years after Gaudí's death. In July 1936, anarchists set fire to the church's crypt and raided the architect's workshop, destroying many of his plans and plaster models. Fortunately, not everything has disappeared.

Much of the lost information was reconstructed by Gaudí's disciples and collaborators, who had documented his ideas in books, articles, drawings and photographs. Their work served as a valuable guide for later generations of architects.

Perhaps the most important thing is that he left a kind of design logic to his successors, explained Jordi Faulí, the chief architect who currently supervises the works. Although subsequent work utilized modern technology-from digital modeling software to industrial robots-the underlying logic remained.

"He created a method to design a system," said Faulí, adding: "When we analyze the fragments [that remain] of his models, or photos of them, we can interpret them easily, because we understand the surfaces that Gaudí used in the project and how they intersect."

Financing was another challenge. As an "expiatory temple", the church is funded entirely by donations and, since it was officially opened to the public in 2010, by income from visitors.

The vulnerability of this model became clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, when tourism collapsed and ticket sales plummeted. Since then, however, visitor numbers have rebounded strongly. In 2025 alone, the basilica welcomed almost 5 million people.

Light invades the central nave through the stained glass windows of the Passion Facade, which was designed in an austere and angular style to convey the suffering of Jesus Christ. The impressive nave, consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, is nearly 45 meters (150 feet) tall - Maria Contreras Coll for CNN via CNN Newsource
Simmering controversy
The Sagrada Familia may seem complete now, but it is far from finished. With the Tower of Jesus Christ erected - not counting the interior, which should be completed by 2028 -, attention turned to the Facade of Glory.

The third and last of Gaudí's decorated facades was designed by the architect as the grand main entrance to the basilica. Its construction, however, generated tensions with residents who live opposite the site.

The central problem is a proposed staircase. As the entrance portico is approximately 4 meters (13 feet) above street level, the Construction Board of the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia (the non-profit foundation responsible for the work) proposed a monumental staircase to connect the basilica to the street, allowing traffic to pass underneath.

This would require significant space, which could require the demolition of residential buildings directly opposite the church. Because of this, many businesses and local residents oppose the proposal.

Among them is Alicia Busquets, who has lived in the neighborhood for three decades. Her apartment offers an exceptional view of the basilica, but the uncertainty surrounding the project has become a source of constant concern, preventing her from even investing in renovations.

"Who can guarantee that in two years my house won't be demolished?", she asked.

Their concerns are shared by many neighbors, who say they still do not have clear information about the work schedule, according to Salvador Barroso, president of an association created by residents affected by the proposals. The Construction Board, in turn, declared that it must first reach an agreement with municipal authorities before opening dialogue with residents.

The controversy is unlikely to overshadow this week's celebrations. But it serves as a reminder that the basilica remains unfinished and that the fate of the people who spent years living under its shadow remains undecided.

"We are at an impasse," said Barroso. "There are a lot of rumors, a lot of things being said, but the reality is that nothing is guaranteed. With the Pope's visit coming up in a few days... this is feeling like a pressure cooker," he concluded.

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Source: CNN