The Sagrada Família will have its viewing cross ready in June and will now be the tallest religious building in Europe.

BarcelonaThe viewing cross that will crown the tallest tower of the Sagrada Família will be ready in June 2026, but it will not be open to visitors until later. This 17-meter-high, 13.5-meter-wide, and 100-ton figure will raise the tower of Jesus Christ to 172.5 meters (it currently measures about 155 meters) and will make the Sagrada Família the tallest religious building in Europe. Over the next few months, the viewing cross will be assembled from parts being built in Germany. The construction committee expects all the parts to be in place by early 2026 and that it will be ready to be displayed without scaffolding by June. The unveiling would therefore coincide with the same month that marks the centenary of the death of architect Antoni Gaudí, who designed the basilica.

In fact, the events commemorating the centenary of Gaudí's death will begin in October of this year and will continue until December 2026. The most solemn moment will be a mass in the basilica that will coincide with the date of the architect's death, June 10. The temple has not yet received a response from the Vatican regarding the invitation for a visit by the Pope, but if Leo XIV chose that same date to visit the Sagrada Familia, he would be the one to officiate the memorial mass for the most famous Catalan architect.

During the year that will remember the figure of Gaudí, the construction of the Chapel of the Assumpta, on the side of Provença street, and on the Glòria façade are also underway, as well as the most controversial part of the project, which remains the construction of a bridge across Mallorca street to a staircase.

The Board insists that the staircase will be built

Regardless of how the negotiations between the Sagrada Família construction committee and Barcelona City Council end, those responsible for the temple assume that the dispute over the grand staircase designed by Gaudí—which would involve the destruction of two city blocks—will most likely end up in court. "Those affected would not agree; it's common sense. We must anticipate that there will be people who will file objections," acknowledged the president of the construction committee, Esteve Camps.

From the outset, Camps expressed his conviction that "the staircase will be built," and regarding negotiations with City Council, he only said that "the method of doing so is being discussed." The staircase was already included in Gaudí's original design, and in fact, the 1976 General Metropolitan Plan (PGM) reserved a wide two-island promenade so that the basilica would have a clearly visible, open access from Avinguda Diagonal. However, this didn't prevent the construction of the homes that now stand on the same site where this project is planned. For this part of the project to go ahead, the affected apartments would have to be demolished, with municipal authorization. "I'm waiting to see what comes out of the negotiations," Camps admitted.

After the "lesson" the pandemic provided in shattering all forecasts for when the works could be completed, the construction board is now avoiding giving a specific date, although they have said it could take around ten more years of work. This forecast excludes the staircase, Camps clarified: "Architecturally, we can make the commitment to the towers because we have the permit, but I cannot make commitments to the municipal and judicial authorities," who will have to intervene before building the staircase.