The Sagrada Familia, a basilica located in Barcelona, Spain, that has been under construction for nearly a century and a half, just officially became the tallest church in the world.
"Today the first part of the cross of the Sagrada Família’s tower of Jesus Christ has been placed, signalling the start of the final phase of construction of this central tower of the temple," said a statement from the church's website on October 30.
As of October 30, the Sagrada Familia is 162.91 meters (534 feet) tall, making it the tallest church in the world. The previous record holder, the Ulmer Münster, a Gothic Lutheran church in Ulm, Germany, stands at 161.53 meters (530 feet).
The 7.25-meter (23.8-foot) lower arm of the cross that was installed on Thursday arrived in Barcelona in July. The lower arm of the cross was split into four pieces, and work had to be done to prepare the structure to be put on the tower.
"Assembling the lower arm represents a significant step towards completing the tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest of the central tower group," said the statement.
Once the cross is fully completed, it will be 17 meters (55.8 feet) tall and 13.5 meters (44.3 feet) wide. The Sagrada Familia itself will have a total height of 172 meters (564 feet) when it is finally completed.
Under construction since 1882
The Sagrada Familia has been a work in progress for nearly a century and a half, but it is finally scheduled to be finished in 2026.
It was designed by Ven. Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), a Spanish architect who knew it would be finished long after his death. In 2023, nearly a century after his death, officials announced that the four "evangelist" towers were complete. Gaudi himself was declared venerable in 2025.
In his design, Gaudí envisioned 18 towers, and 17 have been completed. Twelve of these would be dedicated to the apostles; four to the evangelists, one to the Virgin Mary, and finally, the tallest, to Jesus Christ.
