Sagrada Familia announces 2026 final completion date
La Sagrada Familia Foundation has announced that the monumental church in Barcelona is set for completion in 2026, 100 years after the death of its architect Antoni Gaudí.
Construction on the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and was led by Gaudí until his passing in 1926. Now, after more than 140 years, a final completion date has been announced.
"The Chapel of the Assumption is expected to be finished in 2025 and the tower of Jesus Christ in 2026," La Sagrada Familia Foundation told news site CNN.
Gaudí designed the huge church to be topped with 18 spires, 12 of which are now complete.
The final six towers are currently under construction including the 170-metre-high central spire, which on completion will make Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world, rising almost 10 metres higher than Ulm Minster in Germany.
In recent years, the speed of construction has increased with a team from engineering firm Arup invited to help speed up the construction and reduce the weight of one of its many colossal elements.
In a recent interview with Dezeen, Arup engineer Tristram Carfrae explained that prefabricated stone panels are being used to build the remaining towers.
The Sagrada Familia has had a long and complex construction history, with Gaudi taking over the project and dramatically changing the design in 1883 after its original architect resigned.
The church progressed under his leadership for the next 40 years until his death, when less than a quarter was estimated to be complete. Following his death, construction slowed due to funding and then was halted by the Spanish civil war, when the majority of the architect's original plans were lost.
The current design is based on reconstructed plans and models.
The building is the largest and most significant of the many buildings designed by the Catalan architect in Barcelona, where the first house he designed opened to the public in 2017.
The main image is by Maksim Sokolov.
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