World's Tallest Church Completed as Sagrada Família Marks 100 Years Since Gaudí's Death

Exactly 100 years after the death of the renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the tower at the Sagrada Família basilica on Wednesday evening, the unfinished work of Gaudí, making the church the tallest in the world at 172.5 meters.

Gaudí, the man behind Barcelona’s most visited attractions, the most popular of which is the Sagrada Família church, was struck by a tram in 1926 and died after not receiving immediate medical treatment, since passersby thought he was a beggar. Construction of the church began 144 years ago, with Gaudí aware that his masterpiece would not be completed until long after his death.

The pope visited Gaudí’s grave in the church after being welcomed there by the King and Queen of Spain, celebrated a special Mass, and then blessed the new tower, named after Jesus, which stands atop the church. After the blessing, the basilica and the tower were lit up, fireworks were set off, and drones formed an image of Gaudí’s face in the night sky.

Despite the inauguration of the “Tower of Jesus,” without doubt the central element of the church, the construction of the Sagrada Família is still not complete. The project’s current chief architect, Maurici Cortés, has overseen the work for 20 years and is the fifth generation of chief architects of this unfinished symphony. “The biggest construction challenge now will be the ‘Glory Façade,’ which is the main façade,” Cortés said. “It may take another 10 years, but we still do not have a fixed schedule.”

“Before the façade becomes a reality, there are several levels of underground construction to make it possible,” he explained. “The underground work is continuing.”

The Sagrada Família attracts about five million visitors each year, and with a record 4,877,567 tourists in 2025, it is one of Europe’s biggest tourist attractions.

At the ceremony, attended by King Felipe of Spain, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the pope called Gaudí’s work an “architectural masterpiece” and “a catechism made of stones, colors and light.” The pope also said that “Christians cannot believe in Jesus and support war,” a message interpreted as criticism of the war in Iran.