On June 10, Barcelona witnessed a historic moment: the completion of the highest point of Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia – the tower of Jesus Christ. The 172.5-meter tower is crowned with a giant cross visible from anywhere in the city.

While tourists see this as the final milestone, architects and the board of trustees consider it merely the end of the most complex phase. Full completion is now expected no earlier than 2035.

The Sagrada Familia has become the tallest church building in the world, surpassing Ulm Minster. However, Gaudí originally stipulated that the structure should not exceed the nearby Montjuïc hill, hence the 172.5-meter limit.

The project did not start with Gaudí: in 1881, bookseller Josep Maria Bocabella purchased the land, and the first architect was Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, Villar resigned, and the 31-year-old Gaudí was appointed.

Gaudí radically transformed the design into a stone encyclopedia with 18 towers and three facades. During his lifetime, only the Nativity facade and a few bell towers were completed.

After Gaudí's death in 1926, construction faced numerous setbacks. During the Spanish Civil War, the workshop and plaster models were destroyed, forcing later architects to reconstruct the vision from fragments.

The basilica is funded by donations and ticket sales: in 2025, it attracted 5 million visitors. The pandemic highlighted the fragility of this model. A full building permit was only obtained in 2019.

The three facades – Nativity, Passion, and Glory – narrate Christian history. The interior features colorful stained glass and tree-like columns.

In 1965, artists including Le Corbusier and Joan Miró opposed further construction, arguing that successors would create their own version. Current builders insist they follow Gaudí's guidelines.

The original deadline of 2026 has been pushed back to 2035. The Sagrada Familia remains a construction site, museum, and tourist attraction simultaneously.

Source: podrobno.uz