The Sagrada Família rises above Barcelona: the city unveils a new skyline

On 31 July 2025, the Sagrada Família reached a height of 155.58 metres, surpassing for the first time the iconic towers of the Vila Olímpica, Hotel Arts, and Torre Mapfre, which since 1992 had defined the skyline of the Catalan capital.

With more than a century of construction behind it, Antoni Gaudí’s temple is now entering its final phase. The Torre de Jesucristo, scheduled for completion in 2026, will raise the basilica to 172.5 metres, making it the tallest church in the world and placing it above Ulm Cathedral in Germany.

True to Gaudí’s vision, the tower will not exceed the 177.72 metres of Montjuïc: the architect believed that human works should never surpass nature. Around it, the towers of the evangelists and the Virgen María already stand out, while work continues on the imposing Glòria façade, set to become the main entrance to the temple.

The plan is to inaugurate the Torre de Jesucristo in June 2026, coinciding with the centenary of the modernist genius’s death, and to open its panoramic viewing platform to the public in 2027. Even so, it is estimated that work will continue for at least another decade. With each new stone, the Sagrada Família not only redefines the skyline of Barcelona, but also its cultural and spiritual identity.