The Tallest Church on Earth, Complete at Last
On 10 June 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass inside a basilica that had been under construction for 144 years. The Tower of Jesus Christ, at 172.5 metres, had been completed in February, making the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. Eleven popes reigned while it was being built. Antoni Gaudi, who took over the project in 1883, died in 1926, run over by a tram, without seeing a single tower finished. He said his client was in no hurry. He was right.
Height
172.5 m (tallest church on Earth)
Construction span
1882 to 2026, 144 years
Popes who reigned during construction
11
Towers total
18 (six completed in 2026)
Annual visitors pre-completion
4.5 million
The 144-Year Build
Construction Phase
/
Era
"My client is in no hurry.
"Antoni Gaudi
Gaudi refused planning permission fees, telling officials the future generations who would benefit from the building would pay them. He was fined. He paid from his own pocket.
The 172.5-metre Tower of Jesus Christ was deliberately designed to be 5.2 metres shorter than the hill of Montjuic behind it. Gaudi believed no human work should exceed God's creation of the natural landscape.
