Barcelona's Iconic Sagrada Familia Cathedral Shines as Final Evangelist Towers Grace the Skyline
Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia cathedral, a colossal undertaking spanning over 140 years, finally reaches a milestone with the completion of its five magnificent central towers
The construction of Barcelona's renowned Sagrada Familia basilica, which started in 1882, will finally be complete with the expected finishing of the sixth and final central tower in 2026. After a wait spanning over 140 years, the completion of the five central towers is a significant milestone.
The church's design was led by renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. He envisioned the monumental structure with 18 towering spindles, representing various biblical figures such as the 12 apostles, the four evangelists, and the Virgin Mary and Jesus. In a recent update from the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, the final sculptural piece was added to the tower of Matthew the Evangelist. Additionally, the tower of John the Evangelist was adorned with the figure of an eagle the following day.
"The four towers of the Evangelists are finished!" the church announced with this picture on Facebook on Friday.
"The completion of the towers of the Evangelists has been announced by the church in a recent Facebook post. We are eagerly looking forward to celebrating this significant achievement!"
An inauguration mass is scheduled to take place at the cathedral on November 12, during which the four evangelist towers will be beautifully illuminated. These towers will remain lit up until Christmas, as announced by the church.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that the towers of Mark and Luke were adorned with a majestic lion and a cunning fox respectively, in the previous year.
The tower of the Virgin Mary was completed with a huge, 12-point star in December 2021.
Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images
The four evangelist towers stand at 135 meters tall (around 443 feet).
In 2021, the construction of the Virgin Mary tower was completed with the addition of a massive 12-pointed star on its top. The tower reaches a height of 138 meters (453 feet). The cathedral plans to erect the remaining tower, symbolizing Jesus Christ, which will reach a staggering height of 172.5 meters (566 feet) and will be adorned with a four-armed cross measuring 17 meters tall (56 feet).
An enormous project
The monumental structure is designed to accommodate around 13,000 people.
When Gaudí passed away in 1926, merely 10-15% of the project had been completed, comprising of a single transept, a crypt, and a portion of the apse wall.
The construction, which was already progressing at a sluggish pace, came to a halt in the late 1930s due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, during this time, numerous designs and models of Gaudí, whose tomb is situated beneath the cathedral, were obliterated.
Current designs are based on surviving and reconstructed materials, as well as reimagined adaptations of the original.
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In 1984, the building was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI for religious worship in 2010.
The church's construction had been conducted unlawfully for 137 years until 2019, when Barcelona's city council finally issued a building permit. The "anomaly" of the lack of planning permission was only uncovered by authorities in 2016.
Upon its completion, the Sagrada Familia will surpass Germany's Ulm Minster as the tallest church in the world.
