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Architecture series, episode 5: Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and Antoni Gaudi took over the project in 1883. On 20 February 2026 the upper arm of the cross was placed on the tower of Jesus Christ, bringing the basilica to its highest point, 172.5 metres. The church is not finished yet.

WHY IT MATTERS

Let me explain

The tower of Jesus Christ has 12 faces and was built from 12 levels of tensioned-stone panels, combining stone and steel, made off-site and placed level by level from 16 October 2018, starting 85 metres above the ground. It is topped by a four-armed cross 17 metres tall and 13.5 metres wide, clad in glass and white enamelled ceramic, made in Germany and assembled on site. With it the six central towers are complete on the outside, and work inside the tower continues in 2027 and 2028. Gaudi worked on the basilica until his death in 1926 (Sagrada Familia; Vatican News, 21 February 2026).