Barcelona's Sagrada Familia to complete construction in 2026 after 140 years
The largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, will finally be completed in 2026.
Officials managing the site announced the completion of the last of six basilica towers, according to a report by CNN International. When finished it will be the world's tallest church, overtaking Ulm Minster in Germany.
"The Chapel of the Assumption is expected to be finished in 2025 and the tower of Jesus Christ in 2026," the Sagrada Familia said in a statement, as per CNNi.
Moreover, the cathedral states that the tower of Jesus Christ will be 172.5 meters, or 566 feet, tall and that its completion will feature a 17-meter-tall (56-foot) four-armed cross.
It was in 1882 when Sagrada Familia was constructed based on a design by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.
As per the media outlet, Gaudí decided to put a monumental structure within the cathedral with 18 massive towers symbolizing biblical figures such as the 12 apostles, four evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus.
Before the city council of Barcelona eventually granted building permission in 2019, the church's construction was done without a permit for 137 years.
The basilica construction was briefly halted because of the pandemic in Spain in 2020, marking the first time construction stopped since the Spanish Civil War.
Reports also said that Gaudí only had 10% to 15% of the project completed when he passed away in 1926. These include the parts of the apse wall, a crypt, and one transept.
The Spanish Civil War disrupted the delayed construction in the late 1930s, destroying much of Gaudí's models and ideas, including his grave beneath the cathedral.
In 1984, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage, testifying "Gaudí's exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology" which influenced "many of the forms and techniques relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century."
Sagrada Familia was consecrated in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI for religious worship.