More than a century after the death of Antoni Gaudí, the soaring central tower of the Sagrada Família — a monument synonymous with Barcelona’s skyline and the exquisite agony of protracted construction — will finally be consecrated in a ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV, marking a symbolic, albeit not final, conclusion to the world’s most famous architectural marathon.
Milestone in stone and faith
Pope Leo XIV will preside over the solemn consecration of the Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Família on Wednesday. The ceremony coincides with the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death and represents a symbolic milestone in the completion of one of the globe’s most celebrated long-term construction projects.
The structure in question is the central Tower of Jesus Christ — the basilica’s tallest element — which was structurally finished in February. It completes the vertical composition of the Sagrada Família, which comprises 18 towers in total: 12 dedicated to the apostles, four to the evangelists, the Tower of the Virgin Mary, and the central spire of Christ. The latter is crowned by a glass-and-ceramic cross, and its installation brought the edifice to a soaring height of 172.5 metres, making it one of the tallest religious buildings in the world.
Long road ahead
Despite this symbolic culmination, construction of the Sagrada Família presses on. Still outstanding are the Glory Façade, a monumental staircase, and the creation of an adjacent parkland. This final phase is complicated by the need to demolish entire residential blocks, a move that could displace roughly two thousand people and is already igniting fierce debate across Barcelona.
Against this backdrop, fresh cultural offshoots continue to emerge from the project. The Lego Group has launched pre-orders for a “Sagrada Família” building set, the largest kit in the history of the Lego Architecture series. The model comprises 12,060 pieces, faithfully recreating the basilica’s facades, central nave, six towers, and stained-glass windows, reaching a height of 62 centimetres. The release is slated for November, with the set priced at $799.99.
The basilica’s history stretches back 144 years — construction began in 1882 and has survived wars, the destruction of archives, and decades of painstaking reconstruction based on surviving materials and plaster models. Today, the project is overwhelmingly financed by tourism; in 2025, the basilica welcomed nearly 4.9 million visitors and generated over €150 million in revenue.
