The Tower of Jesus Christ

How tall is the Tower of Jesus Christ?

172.5 m to the top of its cross, which makes the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world.

The tower rises from the middle of the basilica, at the centre of the group of large central towers. Its last big element is the cross: the first piece went up in October 2025, and the upper arm was placed on 20 February 2026, which brought the building to its final 172.5 m. Time Out reported the cross at 17 m by 13.5 m, with the upper arm alone 4.5 m by 4.5 m by 4.9 m.

Gaudí planned the central tower to stay just below the height of Montjuïc, the hill on the city's south side, because he did not want his work to rise above what God had made. The cross is clad in glass and about 15,000 ceramic pieces, according to America Magazine, and it is designed to catch the sun by day and glow at night.

Here is how the build got to this point.

What happened at the inauguration on 10 June 2026?

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the basilica on the evening of the Gaudí centenary, then blessed the tower and its cross was lit.

It was the fifth day of the Pope's visit to Spain. America Magazine counted about 4,000 people inside and about 4,000 more outside, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, the Spanish prime minister, Catalonia's leaders and the basilica's head architect, Jordi Faulí, among them. Leo XIV is only the second pope to say Mass there, after Benedict XVI consecrated it in 2010. He also prayed at Gaudí's tomb in the crypt.

In his homily the Pope called the Sagrada Familia a church still under construction and said its unfinished state is not a flaw. After he blessed the tower with holy water the cross was switched on, and fireworks closed the evening over the facade. For the rest of the centenary programme, see our Gaudí centenary post.

Can you go up the Tower of Jesus Christ?

No, not yet. The tower ticket covers one Nativity or Passion tower, and no opening date for the new tower has been announced.

The basilica's tower page names two towers you can visit: one on the Nativity facade, looking east towards the sea, and one on the Passion facade, looking over the city centre. You choose one when you book. The Tower of Jesus Christ is not on that list: the basilica says work inside the tower continues in 2027 and 2028.

The open towers work the same way all year: a lift takes you up and you walk down. Children under 6 may not go up, bags go into lockers first, and the towers close in rain or strong wind. On the official price list for 2026, a ticket with towers is €36, against €26 for the basilica alone.

A guided visit of about 1 hour 30 minutes, then the lift up a Passion facade tower and 400 steps down, with €10 back per person if wind or rain closes the towers.

★ 4.6 · 2 hours · from $122

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

Explore the guided tour with tower access → Tour details

Where can you see the new tower on a visit?

From the two squares outside, and from the nave, where you stand beneath the central towers. Any entry ticket gets you there.

Outside, the classic view is from the pond in the square on the Nativity side, the same spot where the priority access guided tour meets. From there the new cross sits above the older Nativity towers. The square on the Passion side, across Carrer de Sardenya, gives the same tower from the west, and it is the side the low sun lights in the late afternoon.

Inside, the central towers stand over the crossing of the nave, so you are right under them as you walk through the forest of columns. A guide makes this part easier to read. On the small-group tour, the listing says the guide stops at the model of the finished basilica and covers the newly completed exterior of the Tower of Jesus Christ. Come back at dusk, after your visit, to see the cross lit.

What is still being built at the Sagrada Familia?

The Glory facade, which will be the main entrance on Carrer de Mallorca. There is no confirmed completion date.

Work on the Glory facade began in 2002. It is planned as the largest of the three facades, and its approach is meant to reach across Carrer de Mallorca, which may affect part of the block on the far side of the street. Until then, visitors come in through the side facades, the Nativity and the Passion.

For a visit this means two practical things. Cranes and scaffolding are part of the picture, especially on the Mallorca side. And some areas can be closed off for works: the golden-hour tour's listing says to expect it. The nave, the stained glass and the museum are all part of the visit, and the model of the finished basilica shows what the works are heading for.

How do you book a visit at short notice now?

Official tickets go on sale about two months ahead and the popular slots go first. A timed entry, a guided visit with entry included or a tower tour can often still be booked for today or tomorrow on GetYourGuide.

The basilica sells online only, through its website and app, and there is no box office. If the official calendar shows nothing for your dates, the options below often still do. One guest on the entry ticket wrote that booking was "Quick and easy, even though it was already sold out on the official website."

Two rules apply whichever you choose. Tickets carry your name, so bring the original photo ID you booked with. And be on time: entry is for your slot, and late arrivals are refused. The last-minute tickets guide goes through every route in, and the prices guide has the official 2026 price list.

Entry for your time slot and an official guide for about 1 hour 30 minutes: both facades, the nave under the new central tower, and the museum with Gaudí's models.

★ 4.8 · 1 hour 30 minutes · from $66

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

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