Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona: the tallest church in the world is in Spain

On this day in 1926, the architect Antonio Gaudí died in Barcelona, ​​leaving his greatest and most beautiful work unfinished.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the place where Christ was crucified and buried
The Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Crown, a spectacular church attached to a cliff

Construction of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona began in 1882. This Wednesday, coinciding with the centenary of Gaudí's death, Pope Leo XIV blessed the church's tallest tower, the Tower of Jesus Christ, which reaches 172.5 meters, surpassing Ulm Cathedral in Germany, which stands at 161.5 meters. Officially, Spain now has the tallest Christian temple in the world. The moment of the blessing can be seen here:

El Papa León XIV ha bendecido la torre de Jesucristo, el acto central del Año Gaudí y uno de los hitos más significativos en la historia reciente de la Basílica. Con 172,5 metros de altura, esta torre se convierte en el punto más elevado de la Basílica y convierte la Sagrada… pic.twitter.com/uOTauG4E16

— La Sagrada Família (@sagradafamilia) June 10, 2026

The visual spectacle that has been organized after the blessing has been truly impressive, including an animated image of Gaudí formed with drones, along with part of some words spoken by him: "To do things well you need, first of all, love, and secondly, technique".

This inauguration is a reminder of a Gospel passage that states that Christ is "the light of the world" (John 8:12). Ultimately, the purpose of all Catholic churches is not to honor their creators, but to honor God.

This church was at risk of not being finished. On July 21, 1936, a few days after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, left-wing extremists stormed the church and set it on fire, desecrating the religious images and altars, destroying some of the furnishings, and burning down much of Gaudí's original workshop, where the plans and models of the church were kept. It was a great loss that hampered and delayed the construction of the basilica, which continued after the war. What happened then was an example of the extremes to which the anti-Catholic hatred of the left went during the Second Republic.

This basilica was designed in Gaudí's distinctive modernist style. It has a total of 18 towers. The tallest of these, which culminates in a cross and was blessed today, is dedicated to Jesus Christ, and its interior is a viewpoint, scheduled to open to the public in 2028.

As for the other towers, one is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, four to the Evangelists, and twelve to the Apostles. The appearance of the church with all these towers is as if it rises towards the sky.

The basilica has over a hundred stained-glass windows of various colors, allowing the outside light to enter the temple and fill it with different chromatic tones. It is a church full of light.

Regarding the delay in the construction of this church, Gaudí once said: "My client is in no hurry" (referring to God). It is said that the architect stated before his death: "Nothing worth doing is worthwhile unless it is eternal." Regarding his conception of architecture, Gaudí said: "The straight line belongs to man, the curved line to God." This explains the forms of this impressive temple.

---

Main image: RTVE Noticias. Photos: Basílica de la Sagrada Família.