La Sagrada Familia, one of the most famous churches in the world is very close to completion, and the scaffolding will now be taken down as its fourth tower is finished.
The world-renowned tourist attraction was built in Barcelona in 1882, but is famously unfinished.
Designed and spearheaded by famous architect Antoni Gaudi, the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and proclaimed a minor basilica.
A celebratory mass is due to be held in the minor basilica to commemorate the major milestone.
The final and tallest tower, which is dedicated to Jesus, is now the main focus of efforts to finish the church.
A figure of Jesus will sit at the top of the central tower, which will make the Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church at 172.5 metres. That makes it 11 metres taller than the current record-holder, Ulm Minster, which is 161.5 metres (530 ft) at its highest point.
It is slated to be completed in 2026, on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s 1926 death.
There has also been significant controversy around the church’s entrance, as the Sagrada Familia foundation wants to make an avenue with a stairway and a ramp. This would directly affect around 3,000 families.
Why was La Sagrada Familia never completed?
In 2020, construction on the church was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the church has taken over 100 years to be built. But various other factors have halted its progress.
Unfortunately, Antoni Gaudí died in 1926 meaning he could not finish his work. Since then, various other architects have taken charge of the work including Sugranyes in 1926 shortly before Gaudí died.
But another factor hindered the temple’s construction, the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939.
During that time, acts of vandalism occurred in which plaster models, plans, and other documents, such as photographs, of the Sagrada Familia project left by Gaudí were burned.
This slowed down the work process, which was resumed only in 1939 through the material saved from the architect’s workshop.
