Barcelona’s Sagrada Família basilica has been officially recognised as the world’s tallest church! After the installation of the first piece of the cross at the top of the central tower, the building reached a height of 162.91 metres, taking away the record from the German cathedral in Ulm, which was the tallest Christian church on Earth for more than 130 years.
When the tower dedicated to Jesus Christ is completed, the height of the basilica will rise to 172 metres. This section is scheduled for completion in 2026, exactly on the 100th anniversary of the death of the church’s architect, Antoni Gaudí.
The tallest church in the world – a symbolic stage of construction
The 7.25-metre-high and 24-tonne element installed is the lower arm of the cross that will crown the central tower. The panels arrived in Barcelona in July and were placed on a platform 54 metres above the main nave. This event marks a new phase in the history of the construction of the Sagrada Familia, which began almost 150 years ago. The imminent completion of the project brings the attention of the architectural world back to one of Gaudí’s most recognisable works and temples in the world in general.
Antoni Gaudí and his vision
The first stone for the temple was laid in 1882. A year later, a young Antoni Gaudí took charge of the project and transformed the original neo-Gothic concept into a highly complex, organic composition inspired by nature and full of references to the wider faith. Initially, the project was financed by private donations from the faithful, but over time it became a project of international significance. By the time of the architect’s death in 1926, only one of the 18 planned towers had been completed. Gaudí was laid to rest in the crypt of his basilica, which gives the building a special historical and spiritual dimension.
Construction of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona
The construction of the Sagrada Família was not without complications and was interrupted several times. During the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, anarchists set fire to the temple’s crypt, thus destroying the original plans and plaster models prepared by Gaudí. Work resumed after the war, but the pace of construction remained slow and depended on donations from the faithful. Contemporary challenges were brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought work to a halt and reduced funding as a result of a decline in the number of tourists visiting Barcelona.
Ulm Cathedral – a German rival
For well over a century, the title of world’s tallest church belonged to Ulm Cathedral, whose soaring tower reaches 161.53 metres. The Gothic masterpiece had been under construction since the 14th century and was a symbol of the engineering precision of the German master masons for many decades to come. The completion of the main tower in 1890 was a unique achievement of the era and a very momentous moment for the whole Church. Only the Sagrada Família, with its futuristic form and spiritual grandeur, managed to break this record.
Completion of the Sagrada Família
Xavier Martínez, director general of the Sagrada Família Foundation, has announced the completion of the Christ Tower in 2026. At the same time, there will be celebrations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death. In the following years, meanwhile, work is to continue on the details, decorations, sculptures and the striking main entrance. Today, the Sagrada Família is one of the most visited sites in Spain. It is an architectural icon where the sacred meets the visionary form of space. Its original massing combining Gothic and Art Nouveau elements, inspired by forms familiar from nature, is a model for many contemporary architects.
World’s tallest church
Work on the Sagrada Familia has been going on for almost a century and a half, and the temple itself continues to evolve. Today, a team of architects and engineers use digital technology and modern construction methods to faithfully realise Gaudí’s vision using contemporary tools. Since 2005, the basilica has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most recognisable buildings anywhere in the world. Its completion will become a highly symbolic moment, closing one of the longest and most extraordinary chapters in the history of architecture. Everyone knows the Sagrada Família as a building under constant construction, so seeing the finished work of the Spanish master will be no small event!
Source: vaticannews.va, bbc.com
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