Central tower of massive Spanish church nears completion

The Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona is edging closer to completion after more than 140 years of work, according to General Director Xavier Martinez. Construction workers were expected to finish the building’s central tower late this year or early next year, Martinez said Thursday during an event to share updates on the project. Dubbed the Tower of Jesus Christ, the structure will be topped with a massive cross that will reach more than 560 feet and become the tallest point in Spain’s capital. Once the tower is completed, Sagrada Familia will also be the tallest church in Europe, surpassing the roughly 530-foot-tall Ulmer Münster church in Germany.

What is the history of the church? Spanish architect Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882 designed the first iteration of the massive basilica and directed the project until architect Antoni Gaudi took over the following year. Gaudi redesigned much of the church according to his own organic style that incorporated complex structures, ornate sculpture, and vibrant colored glass. After his death in 1926, architects continued working on the project and in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it as a basilica, though it was still unfinished. Project leaders had originally planned to finish the church in 2026, but project chairman Esteve Camps on Thursday said the COVID pandemic delayed construction and it would most likely be another decade before work was done. Once finished, the Sagrada Familia is expected to have three facades and 18 towers.

Has there been any controversy recently? A plan advanced earlier this year to build a stairway on one side of the basilica that drew opposition from locals. The project would require the demolition of blocks of housing and offices in a city already wrestling with a lack of affordable housing.

Dig deeper: Read Lynn Vincent’s report in WORLD Magazine about her trip to the towering basilica.