Officials completed the main "Jesus Tower" of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona on June 10, 2026, during a ceremony attended by Pope Leo XIV [1].
This milestone marks the 100th anniversary of the death of architect Antoni Gaudí and represents a critical step toward the final completion of the UNESCO World Heritage site [3].
The tower reaches a height of 172.5 meters [1]. Approximately 8,000 guests attended the celebration, including Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia [1]. The event culminated in a papal Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the night of June 10 [2].
During the events, the Pope addressed the intersection of faith and global conflict. "You cannot encourage war while believing in Jesus," Pope Leo XIV said [2].
Construction of the basilica began in 1882 [1]. While the Jesus Tower is now finished, the overall project remains ongoing. Current projections suggest the entire basilica will be completed between 2034 and 2035 [1].
The ceremony serves as a bridge between the original vision of Gaudí and the modern engineering required to realize it, a process that has spanned over 140 years.
“"You cannot encourage war while believing in Jesus,"”
The completion of the Jesus Tower is more than an architectural achievement; it is a symbolic alignment of the Catholic Church and the Spanish state to honor Gaudí's legacy exactly one century after his death. By timing the completion with the centenary, the Sagrada Família foundation signals that the project is entering its final phase, moving from a century of perpetual construction toward a definitive conclusion by the mid-2030s.
