Sagrada Familia's Central Tower Reaches Peak Height with Cross Installation
Barcelona's towering Sagrada Familia basilica will achieve its maximum height on Friday, February 20, 2026, as workers place a cross atop the central Tower of Jesus Christ. This significant milestone brings the iconic structure closer to completion, though the magnum opus of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí remains years away from finalisation.
A Historic Moment for the Unfinished Monument
A crane is positioning the upper arm of a cross on the "Tower of Jesus Christ," the church's soaring central piece, which will stand 172.5 meters (566 feet) above Barcelona. The church authorities confirmed this development, noting that while the unfinished monument is already the world's tallest church, Friday's addition inches the Sagrada Familia—still surrounded by building cranes and scaffolding—toward its ultimate finish.
The first stone of the Sagrada Familia was laid in 1882, but Gaudí never expected it to be completed in his lifetime. Only one of its multiple towers was finished when he died at age 73 in 1926 after being struck by a tram. In recent decades, work has accelerated as the basilica evolved into a major international tourist attraction, drawing visitors worldwide to Barcelona to marvel at Gaudí's radical aesthetic that blends Catholic symbolism with organic forms.
Priority Ahead of Gaudí Centenary Celebrations
The interior of the "Tower of Jesus Christ" is still under construction, but topping the central tower, which rises above the transept, has been a priority ahead of celebrations this June marking the centenary of Gaudí's death. The scaffolding surrounding the central tower is expected to be removed by June, in time for the inauguration of the "Tower of Jesus Christ."
As Gaudí envisioned, the cross has four arms so its shape can be recognised from any direction, according to Sagrada Familia's rector, Rev. Josep Turull. If Barcelona's city government permits, the original plan also includes a light beam shining from each of the cross's arms, symbolising the church's role as a spiritual lighthouse, he added.
Funding and Global Recognition
Millions of tourists visit the Sagrada Familia annually, and entrance fees largely fund the ongoing construction. This year, the Sagrada Familia will host several events to celebrate the Catalan Modernist's legacy, which includes other stunning buildings in Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain.
The Sagrada Familia became the world's largest church last October when it surpassed the spire of Germany's Ulmer Münster, a Gothic Lutheran church built over 347 years starting in 1543. That church tops out at 161.53 meters (530 feet). At the base of the cross installed Friday afternoon at Sagrada Familia, a prayer verse from the Gloria recited by Catholics at Mass is inscribed, said Turull. It reads: "You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High."
