Inauguration of the Sagrada Família’s tallest tower: but when will construction actually be finished?

Hundreds of drones form Gaudí’s face for the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Pope Leo XIV blessed the structure, but it will still be at least ten years before the iconic basilica is actually completed.

On June 10, the sky over Barcelona transformed into a luminous canvas to celebrate a historic moment, at the intersection of futuristic engineering and religious fervor. On the occasion of the centennial of the tragic death of Antoni Gaudí, who was struck by a tram in 1926, Pope Leo XIV presided over the solemn inauguration of the Tower of Christ (or Jesus) at the Sagrada Família. The event was attended by the country’s highest authorities, including King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia Ortiz, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

The tribute to Gaudí

Following the blessing, the Catalan sky was filled with hundreds of drones that formed Gaudí’s face above Montjuïc Hill, projecting his famous maxim: “First love, then technique.” This light show featured twenty-four beams of light distributed across the top of the structure, powered by a high-efficiency LED system that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 845 kilograms per year.

The Sagrada Família becomes the tallest church in the world

The installation of the upper arm of the cross, made of glass and glazed ceramic, brings the height of the Tower of Jesus to 172.5 meters. A measurement calculated down to the millimeter by the modernist genius so as not to exceed the 173 meters of the nearby natural hill, as he believed that man’s work should not outshine nature.

With this addition, the Sagrada Família officially dethrones Ulm Cathedral in Germany and becomes the tallest church in the world. This record crowns the completion of the six central towers of the transept, which include the spire of the Virgin Mary and the four dedicated to the evangelists, adorned with monumental sculptures of the eagle, the lion, the angel, and the ox.

The myth of the completed work and the reality of ongoing construction

While the visual impact on Barcelona’s skyline gives the impression of complete fulfillment, the structural reality of the basilica tells a very different story. Despite this spectacular inauguration, the Sagrada Família is far from finished. The building, which has been self-financed since 1882 and receives no public funding, is only 70% complete, and construction will continue for a long time to come.

The entire Glory Facade on Mallorca Street, intended to become the temple’s main entrance, is still missing. The sculptural ensemble, four exterior towers, and the interior decoration of the Tower of Jesus itself still need to be completed. Current plans also call for the construction of the adjoining cloister, the Chapel of the Assumption, the second sacristy, and a direct underground connection to the city’s metro system.

When will the Sagrada Família be completed?

The real obstacle standing in the way of final completion—optimistically estimated for between 2036 and 2037—is a major urban planning dispute. The original plan calls for the construction of a monumental access staircase and a 60-meter-wide avenue. However, their development would require the expropriation and demolition of two adjacent blocks of buildings.

This project would result in the forced eviction of approximately one thousand resident families, who have been protesting for decades, disputing Gaudí’s authorship of this ramp. Mayor Jaume Collboni has ruled that the basilica’s foundation must cover all costs associated with relocating the residents, promising a final decision by the 2027 municipal elections. Only then will we know whether the temple, whose construction began 144 years ago, will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.