The Sagrada Família sees an agreement with the City Council regarding the staircase as "close".

BarcelonaOne of Barcelona's most difficult puzzles to solve may be nearing its end. Esteve Camps, the president of the Sagrada Familia Construction Board, confirmed on Tuesday that an agreement with the Barcelona City Council for the project is nearing completion. unblock the staircase The temple is "close." "Negotiations are progressing well and are very advanced. It seems we are close to an agreement," he said at the press conference to present the basilica's annual report. Despite the optimism, Camps avoided setting a date for finalizing this possible agreement. He did emphasize that the relationship with the municipal government "is cordial." Furthermore, he considered that the fact that the fourth deputy mayor and councilor for the Eixample district, Jordi Valls, assumed that all affected residents could remain in housing within the district shows that an agreement is possible. However, Esteve did not provide further details about the possible solution to the puzzle or the number of residents ultimately affected. The key to the negotiation is how to resolve the construction of the staircase designed by Antoni Gaudí in front of the Glory façade, which would involve debris on two city blocks, between Mallorca and Aragó streets. This was, in fact, planned in the 1976 Metropolitan General Plan (PGM), which reserved a wide, two-block promenade to give the Sagrada Família a clear and easily visible access from Diagonal Avenue. However, this did not prevent the construction of housing, for which a solution must now be found if the project goes ahead.

In response to Esteve's remarks, sources at Barcelona City Hall have simply stated that the discussions "must be approached with composure, rigor, and thoroughness, because it is a key project for the city and the country," and have emphasized that the priority must be "the concerns and needs of the residents." In this regard, the same sources stressed that "any agreement will have to offer a fair and effective response to those affected, and ensure that no one is harmed."

Esteve has also spoken about the future of the Glory façade, the other major pending issue for the Sagrada Familia once it has reached its peak with the cross of the tJesus's arreAs he explained, the board of trustees has already received the drafts of the three artists The temple requested proposals from Miquel Barceló, Javier Marín, and Cristina Iglesias, and will meet in June to deliberate. Esteve indicated that this meeting will decide whether to commission one of the artists to expand the work, divide it into different packages for more than one artist to work on, or discard all three options and begin a new process with new artists. However, the decision will not be made before the visit of Pope Leo XIV. No further details were given this Tuesday regarding the Pope's visit, scheduled for June 10. A new press conference will be held next May to finalize all details related to the visit and the commemoration of the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death. Extended visiting hours

Reaching the pinnacle by installing the cross atop the Jesus Tower has also brought about another symbolic change for the Sagrada Familia. As of Tuesday, the basilica's logo has changed. The central tower, topped with a cross, has been added to the silhouette of the four towers that existed until now. The kite that crowns the Virgin Tower has also been incorporated. "We want to convey that the Sagrada Familia is evolving, and its image is evolving as well, while respecting Gaudí's legacy," said Esteve.

This morning, the 2025 review was also conducted at the basilica. The number of visitors continued to grow last year, reaching 4,877,567, a 0.91% increase over the previous year. Once again, the largest group of visitors came from the United States (15.07%), followed by visitors from the rest of Spain, China (which saw a 60% increase compared to 2024), and Italy and France, although the number of French visitors decreased by 20.9% compared to the previous year. Esteve did not rule out, however, the possibility of increasing capacity in the near future if the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus in June leads to increased interest in visiting the basilica. In this regard, he raised the possibility of extending the current opening hours, something that, he acknowledged, would have to be negotiated with the Generalitat (Valencian regional government). He did confirm that when the glass elevator is completed in 2028 and the Tower of Jesus is open to the public, the number of visitors will increase because there will be a new internal space to accommodate them.