Gaudi Cathedral Nearing Completion After 133 Years

Under construction for the past 133 years, the Sagrada Familia has entered its final phase, with just 11 years left until completion. Six new towers, bringing the total to 18, will be added to the famous basilica in Barcelona, Spain. This last phase will complete the work architect Antoni Gaudi started in 1883.

The tallest of the cathedral’s new towers will be 564 feet (172 meters) high, making the Roman Catholic basilica Europe’s tallest religious structure. According to the present chief architect, Jordi Faulí, the building is currently 70 percent finished and on schedule to be completed in 2026, the 100-year anniversary of Gaudí’s death

The Sagrada Família basilica was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and continues to be an extravagant work in progress, inspired by nature and faith – a feverish dream of fantastic spires and brilliant stained glass, lavish facades, and ornate arches. Climbing hundreds of feet above the center of Barcelona, it draws the attention of an average of three million tourists a year.