On the morning of February 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in Barcelona:
As the final 17-meter-tall sculptural cross was slowly lifted by crane and carefully placed atop the 172.5-meter tower, the crowd gathered below Sagrada Família erupted into applause. In that moment, exactly 144 years had passed since the laying of the church’s first stone.
The cross, measuring 17 meters in height and 13.5 meters in width, is clad in white glazed ceramic and glass panels, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. It was manufactured in Germany, while the ceramic materials on its surface were sourced locally from Catalonia. At the highest point inside the cross, a sculpture of the “Lamb of God,” created by Italian artist Andrea Mastrovito, will be installed in the future.
At 172.5 meters, the Sagrada Família has become the tallest church in the world.
But reaching its full height does not mean completion. According to the latest schedule released by the Sagrada Família construction committee, this “never-finished building” is expected to complete its interior works by 2028 and be fully finished by 2034. From its groundbreaking in 1882, that will mark a total of 152 years.
Generations pass—one after another. With its unhurried pace, the Sagrada Família measures the patience of humanity itself.
The Topped-Out Yet Unfinished Sagrada Família
The completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ marks one of the most significant milestones in the history of the Sagrada Família. Yet the work surrounding this tower is only just beginning.
The next key moment will be June 10, 2026—the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death.
The Sagrada Família plans to hold a grand completion and consecration ceremony on that day, and an invitation has been extended to the newly appointed Pope Leo XIV. If he attends, he will become the second pope to visit the basilica since Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
Chief architect Jordi Faulí stated in an interview that the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ represents a commitment toward the basilica’s overall completion. However, he also acknowledged that the project is currently about 80% complete, with the remaining 20% still requiring time.
Within that remaining 20%, the most challenging task is the Glory Façade.
According to Gaudí’s original design, the Sagrada Família has three façades: the Nativity Façade, the Passion Façade, and the Glory Façade—the latter being the most monumental and symbolically representing the glory of Christ.
However, building it as originally planned would require demolishing two full city blocks of residential buildings in front of the site.
Local residents strongly oppose this idea.
After all, Barcelona is currently facing a severe housing crisis. According to city data, rents in the city center have risen by 40% over the past decade, forcing more and more young people to leave due to affordability issues. Demolishing homes for the sake of church construction is bound to trigger intense backlash.
Beyond the controversy surrounding the Glory Façade, interior works are also ongoing.
According to current plans, all interior decoration—including sculptural details, stained glass installation, and the finishing of the cross—will be completed by 2028. Jordi Faulí emphasized that all work strictly follows Gaudí’s original drawings and models: “Full completion is expected by 2034.”
In the documentary The City of Genius, Japanese sculptor Etsuro Sotoo, who has worked on the Sagrada Família for 40 years, said:
“If you want to understand Gaudí, don’t look at him—look at what he was looking at.”
Perhaps this explains why the construction has progressed so slowly. Each generation is not simply replicating Gaudí’s plans, but striving to understand the direction he was looking toward—and then continuing forward along that path.
God Is Not in a Hurry — Antoni Gaudí’s 34 Years
Construction of the Sagrada Família began on an empty plot in Barcelona on March 19, 1882.
The project was initiated by a bookseller named Josep Maria Bocabella. Two years earlier, during a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, he stood beneath its magnificent dome and had a thought: “Barcelona’s church must not fall behind the Vatican.”
The first architect, Francisco de Paula del Villar, proposed a conventional Neo-Gothic design. However, after just one year, he fell out with the church over financial issues and left, completing only the crypt.
The man who took over this unfinished project was Antoni Gaudí, then just 31 years old.
During his 43 years on the project, less than a quarter of the basilica was completed. Yet those decades defined the entire soul of the building.
Gaudí completely abandoned the Neo-Gothic style, transforming it into his own interpretation of Catalan Modernism. The 18 spires symbolize Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Four Evangelists, and the Twelve Apostles; the three façades narrate the life of Christ.
His architecture defies conventional classification.
As seen today, luminous columns rise upward like a forest beneath the sea, branching and intersecting at the top to form shapes reminiscent of seashells, punctuated by openings of varying sizes.
“You cannot describe these forms as Gothic, Byzantine, or anything else—they are singular, pure, and organically natural.”
What is perhaps most astonishing is his structural innovation.
Traditional Gothic cathedrals rely on flying buttresses to support pointed arches. Gaudí, however, developed the catenary arch—a structure shaped like a naturally hanging chain turned upside down. This form is both stable and open. Inside the basilica, columns branch like tree trunks, while light filters through stained glass like sunlight passing through leaves.
Gaudí often said that his greatest teacher was nature.
Gaudí moved onto the site itself to better oversee construction in his later years—walking among the scaffolding in worn clothes, often mistaken by passersby for a beggar.
On June 7, 1926, this “beggar” was struck by a tram on his way to the church. Because of his shabby appearance, he was taken to hospital without special attention. Three days later, at the age of 73, Gaudí passed away. Only when identification was found in his pocket did people realize that Barcelona’s greatest architect had died quietly and unnoticed.
Gaudí was often asked the same question during his lifetime: “When will the church be finished?”
He would calmly reply: “My client is not in a hurry.”
By “client,” he meant God.
This phrase has since become a defining note of the Sagrada Família—and a quiet reassurance for all who wait: if God is not in a hurry, why should we be?
War, Controversy, and a Relay Across Generations
After the death of Antoni Gaudí, the fate of the Sagrada Família became uncertain.
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, a group of anarchists stormed the construction site, destroying Gaudí’s workshop. A large number of drawings, models, and photographs were burned. Fortunately, some original materials were rescued at great risk by staff, preserving a fragile foundation for future reconstruction.
After the war, construction resumed slowly, based on these surviving drawings and models. At times, when uncertainty arose about how to proceed, work would halt for years of study. By the 1950s, as funding stabilized, progress began to accelerate. In 1976, the four towers of the Nativity Façade were completed; sculptures for the Passion Façade began to be installed in 1987.
During this period, the basilica also became a subject of intense debate. British writer George Orwell once described it as “one of the most hideous buildings in the world,” even wishing it had been destroyed during the war. In stark contrast, surrealist artist Salvador Dalí saw in it a beauty that was both awe-inspiring and playful, even suggesting it be preserved under a glass dome once completed.
Despite being unfinished, the Sagrada Família was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984—making it the only incomplete structure in the world to receive such recognition.
Pope Benedict XVI visited the basilica, celebrated Mass, and formally consecrated it as a minor basilica in 2010. By then, the interior structure was largely complete, though the exterior towers remained wrapped in scaffolding.
Each generation of architects has faced immense pressure: to honor Gaudí’s vision while solving the technical challenges he left behind; to push construction forward while managing financial constraints; and to meet public expectations while addressing concerns from local residents.
Funding for the Sagrada Família has long depended primarily on private donations and ticket revenue. Before 2019, more than 4.5 million visitors from over 120 countries and regions came each year.
However, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, construction was forced to halt for nearly a year. Visitor numbers plummeted, and ticket income dropped sharply. At the same time, the cost of building materials surged by 20% to 30%, and inflation placed even greater strain on an already tight budget.
The original plan to fully complete the basilica by 2026—the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death—collapsed.
In December 2021, the Tower of the Virgin Mary was completed, crowned with a 5.5-ton, 7-meter-wide twelve-pointed star that illuminated Barcelona’s night sky.
In November 2023, two new 135-meter towers—dedicated to the Evangelists—were finished, complete with sculptures of an eagle and an angel.
In February 2026, the Tower of Jesus Christ reached its full height.
Each milestone sparks global attention. Yet once the moment passes, the scaffolding remains—and construction continues.
Generation after generation, people persist—using the simplest, most patient methods—to build a structure that never seems to reach completion.
On June 10, 2026, when the Sagrada Família holds its consecration ceremony and its 172.5-meter spire pierces the Barcelona skyline, some long-held dreams will finally be fulfilled.
But many will continue to wait.
They will wait to see how the Glory Façade resolves its demolition controversy, how the two remaining towers will eventually rise, how the interior decoration will truly be completed—and whether 2034 will indeed mark the end of this extraordinary journey.
