Overview
- Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and blessed the central Tower of Jesus Christ on Wednesday, June 10, completing the structure that reached 172.5 meters (566 feet) when a cross was installed in February and making the basilica the world’s tallest church.
- The tower’s structural finish is largely symbolic because interior cladding, elevators and decorative work continue and project leaders still expect full completion in the mid-2030s.
- Plans for the remaining Glory Façade and a grand entrance are unresolved and controversial because building them would require demolishing or displacing nearby homes and businesses, with local estimates of affected residents running into the hundreds.
- Tourism funds most construction: nearly five million visitors in 2025 and ticket revenue have underwritten work, but high visitor numbers also fuel local complaints about overtourism and pressure on the neighborhood.
- The centenary drew commercial and cultural tributes, including The Lego Group’s 12,060-piece Sagrada Família set — its largest by piece count — which reproduces the basilica’s build sequence and stained-glass effect and goes on sale after preorders start this year.