It has not yet been unveiled, but the huge cross on the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia has been installed.Image: keystone
February 20, 2026, 2:18 p.mFebruary 20, 2026, 2:18 p.m
The giant German-made cross for the main tower of the world-famous Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona has been completed with the installation of the top segment. The Sagrada Família Foundation announced this on X.
The church has now reached its final height of 172.50 meters. The Sagrada Família has been the highest church in the world since last October, when the tower grew to a height of 162.91 meters with the start of the placement of the first cross segment, replacing the previous record holder, the Ulm Minster (161.50 meters).
Today the upper arm of the cross of the Sagrada Família’s tower of Jesus Christ has been placed, a milestone that completes the exterior construction of the temple’s tallest tower. This installation completes the set of the Sagrada Família’s six central towers. pic.twitter.com/A6xFOx7I9n
— La Sagrada Família (@sagradafamilia) February 20, 2026
The official inauguration is planned for June 10th, the 100th anniversary of the death of the architect Antoni Gaudí. The steel and glass cross, which weighs almost 100 tons, is expected to be accessible to the public from 2027 and will then allow a breathtaking panoramic view of the Mediterranean metropolis.
The impressive cross comes from near Ulm
The monumental cross was made by the company Joseph Gartner GmbH from Gundelfingen on the Danube in Bavaria – only 36 kilometers as the crow flies from the Swabian town of Ulm. Gartner specializes in complex glass structures and manufactured the 17 meter high and 13.50 meter wide cross using a lightweight steel construction.
But the tower shouldn’t have been much higher. Gaudí had stipulated that the Sagrada Família could not be higher than the highest hill in Barcelona, the 177 meter high Montjuïc. Gaudí wanted the work of man not to outweigh the work of God.
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.Image: keystone
Construction was only financed through donations and entrance fees
With the completion of the cross, the basilica has come a big step closer to the end of its long building history. But it’s still not finished. “It could happen in about ten years. “If everything goes well,” says Xavier Martínez, head of the construction department.
The construction of the Sagrada Família was only financed through donations and, above all, through entrance fees. In 2024 there were 4.9 million visitors and revenue totaled almost 134 million euros. (pre/sda)