Spain’s Tower of Jesus Christ will make Sagrada Familia world’s tallest Catholic church

Journalists visit a working area at outside Sagrada Familia following a news conference to announce an update on the works of the basilica in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 18, 2025. Over a century in the making, the Tower of Jesus Christ, designed by the famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, will soon crown the Basilica of the Holy Family, making it the tallest Catholic church in the world. (OSV News photo/Albert Gea, Reuters)

(OSV News) — Over a century in the making, the Tower of Jesus Christ, designed by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, will soon crown the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, making it the tallest Catholic Church in the world.

In a pre-recorded statement sent to OSV News Sept. 23, Jordi Faulí, the head architect overseeing the basilica’s construction, said that while the central spire and its terminal have been completed, workers are now focused on the cross that will crown it.

“The cross is made up of seven large pieces that are assembled here and will then be lifted with the crane. The intention is to finish the cross in the next few months,” Faulí said.

Construction of the basilica began in 1882, and is considered a masterpiece of Gaudí, a Catholic whose cause for sainthood is underway. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the basilica faced numerous delays and challenges in its over 140-year construction, from the Spanish Civil War to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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