Completion date announced for Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
144 years after work officially begun on building the iconic Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a new completion date has been revealed for the project.
Officials, who have been working on realising the vision of Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí and the hard work of those who have laid the stone, are confident it will finally be finished in 2026. Gaudí’s plan included the implementation of 18 towers, each dedicated to a different biblical figure including the 12 apostles as well as the Virgin Mary and Jesus. The four evangelists are also celebrated.
On the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death on March 20th, the Sagrada Familia revealed in a statement: “The Chapel of the Assumption is expected to be finished in 2025 and the tower of Jesus Christ, in 2026.”
Esteve Camps, the president of the organisation, also said (via The Guardian): “We are following Gaudí’s plan to the letter, he said. “We are his heirs and we can’t renounce his project. The plan presented to the local authority in 1915, which was signed by Gaudí, includes the stairway.”
Camps also revealed discussions remain ongoing with Barcelona mayor, Jaume Collboni, and admitted the final say ultimately lays with the authorities. “I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me when they will make a decision,” he admitted.
While the official completion date for the Sagrada Familia is 2026, the work will continue on aspects of the building for a further eight years, including the creation of a new stairway that will operate as the central entrance.
Following the eventual conclusion of the project, the Sagrada Familia will surpass the stature of Germany’s Ulm Minster and become the tallest church in the world. It will boast a central tower that stands at over 172 metres, symbolising Jesus Christ.
The large-scale building work has been funded by the general public, who generate $125 million each year through visits to the Sagrada Familia. Roughly half of the admission fees go towards the regeneration while the whereabouts of rest of the money remains undisclosed by the church.
Notably, the Sagrada Familia was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. Furthermore, during a visit by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, it was consecrated as grounds for religious worship. During the ceremony, he said the Barcelona building “stands as a visible sign of the invisible God, to whose glory these spires rise like arrows pointing towards absolute light and to the one who is light, height and beauty itself.”
