You have to wait for the best things in life.
Almost a century and a half under construction, but now Barcelona’s world-famous Sagrada Familia basilica is about to raise its immense central tower, and become the tallest Christian church in the world.
After 140+ years, Gaudí’s masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, will finally be completed next year.
A Gothic dream born in the 19th century, finished in the 21st.
Will people 500 years from now look at it as we do Florence and Chartres? pic.twitter.com/fGpim5x6m1
— Culture Explorer (@CultureExploreX) September 15, 2025
Associated Press reported:
“The basilica’s General Director Xavier Martínez said Thursday that ‘the tower will be finished at the end of this year or the beginning of 2026’.
‘This is an important moment in the history of the building of the Sagrada Familia because it will reach its maximum height’, Martínez told The Associated Press. ‘We are used to seeing skyscrapers like those in the United States (go up), but it is remarkable that in the 21st century we are building a cathedral’.
Once the gigantic Tower of Jesus Christ is up, the masterpiece of architect Antoni Gaudí will rise to 172 meters (564 feet). That will make it taller than the Ulmer Münster church in southern Germany, which tops out at 162 meters (531.5 feet).”
“Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the death of Gaudí. The church will hold several events to celebrate his legacy, which includes several stunning buildings in Barcelona and other places in Spain.
Pope Leo XIV has been invited for a solemn Mass to be held in Gaudí’s memory on June 10, the day he died when struck by a streetcar in 1926. Sagrada Familia officials said that they hope to have a response from the Vatican in the coming weeks.”
♰ Catholicism is Breathtaking ♰
Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, known as La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family), Barcelona, Spain
Construction began on 19 March 1882 and yet unfinished. It was consecrated on 7 November 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. pic.twitter.com/9uYzu3EqHt— Beauty of the Catholic Faith (@advoluntas) August 3, 2025
Sagrada Familia, begun in 1882, and taken over by Gaudi the following year, who worked on it until his death in 1926, has been described as the most creative interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages. It was consecrated a minor Basilica by Benedict XVI in 2010. pic.twitter.com/54G9I8RAdw
— Christian Culture (@Christian8Pics) September 11, 2018
Read more:
Pope Francis Puts Catalan Architect Antoni Gaudi, the Creator of the Famous Barcelona Basilica, on the Path to Sainthood
Read the full article here