Sagrada Família, completed the Tower of Jesus Christ

The Tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest of the Sagrada Família, has been completed: with the installation of the upper arm of the cross at its summit, the exterior works on the tower have been concluded, while work inside the structure will continue over the next two years. “It is an important day: the six central towers of the basilica are now complete”, emphasized Jordi Faulí, construction director and coordinator of works at the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Família, on the occasion of the installation of the final section of the cross, which took place on the morning of Friday, February 20.

The Tower of Jesus Christ — which will be inaugurated on June 10, marking the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the principal author of the Sagrada Família — stands at the center of the basilica’s cluster of towers. It is surrounded by the four Towers of the Evangelists, each connected to the central tower by a bridge, and by the Tower of the Virgin Mary, internally linked to the Tower of Jesus Christ.

Sagrada Família, the tallest church in the world

Now that it has been completed, the Tower of Jesus Christ is the tallest element of the Sagrada Família, as indicated in the Fourth Album of the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Família, a historical publication dating back to the 1920s and edited by the Spiritual Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph, which collected photographs and illustrations of the basilica’s construction progress: “Rising above the four towering columns of the transept, the great cimborio will soar, crowned at 176 meters by a magnificent cross with four fluted arms from which the panorama may be contemplated. At its center will be placed the Agnus Dei”.

A masterpiece of Catalan Modernism, the Sagrada Família is one of Barcelona’s landmark monuments and one of Antoni Gaudí’s most renowned works. The Catalan architect took over the construction of the basilica in 1883, a year after work had begun, and transformed its style from Neo-Gothic to Art Nouveau — a movement known in Barcelona and its surroundings as “Catalan Modernism”.

Gaudí conceived the church interior as a forest of stone, with columns branching like trees to support the vaults. The overall project includes 18 spires: in addition to the six central towers, there are 12 more dedicated to the Apostles.

Each façade of the basilica narrates a phase in the life of Christ: the Nativity (east), the Passion (west), and the Glory (south). The latter, conceived by Gaudí as a representation of the ascent to Heaven, is destined to become the basilica’s main entrance on Carrer de Mallorca. The completion of the Glory Façade, along with its sculptures and monumental access staircase, is not expected before 2034.

Long left unfinished, the Sagrada Família was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Each year, the basilica attracts nearly five million visitors. With its maximum height of 172.5 m — reached with the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ — it officially becomes the tallest church in the world. It remains slightly lower than Montjuïc hill, in keeping with Gaudí’s wish: “The work of man must not surpass that of God”.

The Tower of Jesus Christ and its construction

The panels of the Tower of Jesus Christ are made using a pre-compressed stone construction system that combines stone and steel — a solution that allowed the elements to be prefabricated in the factory, then transported and installed on site already pre-assembled. The base of the tower’s terminal section features inscriptions in praise of Jesus Christ, made of glazed white ceramic and brick and surrounded by palms: “Tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus” (“You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High”).

The tower is crowned by a four-armed three-dimensional cross, also clad in glass and glazed white ceramic, measuring 17 meters in height and 13.5 meters in width. 

The cross was manufactured in Germany in 2025 and arrived in Barcelona in modules, which were assembled on a working platform located 54 meters above the central nave. The installation of the first element of the cross, the lower arm, took place on October 27; this was followed by the central core, the four lateral arms, and finally, last Friday, the upper arm. The glazed white ceramic, the internal stone structure, and the stained-glass elements were produced in various factories and workshops across Catalonia.

The sculpture of the Agnus Dei, created by Italian artist Andrea Mastrovito, will be placed inside the upper arm at the highest point, ensuring it is perfectly visible from within the cross itself. In the words of Jordi Faulí, “The completion of the cross of the Tower of Jesus Christ represents much more than the conclusion of a construction phase: it is the result of years of work and study of Antoni Gaudí’s legacy. It is also a concrete commitment to the future, making possible the completion of the Sagrada Família”.

>>> Discover the seven finalists for EUmies Awards 2026