Only two years. Sagrada Familia will be completed after 144 years

“We expect the Assumption Chapel to be completed in 2025 and the Jesus Christ Tower in 2026,” the monument’s administration said in an annual report.

The mentioned tower of Jesus Christ will measure 172.5 meters when completed, it will also be decorated with a huge 17-meter cross, CNN reports with reference to the administration of the temple. The Sagrada Familia, which translates to Holy Family, will thus become the tallest church in the world, taking over the title from the Great Cathedral in Ulm, Germany.

Megalomaniacal work

The construction of the Barcelona Cathedral began in 1882 and is the masterpiece of the architect Gaudí. He dreamed of a tabernacle with 18 slender towers to symbolize the twelve apostles, the four evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

Barcelona has sharply defined itself towards one type of tourist

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Antoni Gaudí died in 1926, when about 10 to 15 percent of the temple was completed. In the 1930s, the slow construction was slowed down even more by the Spanish Civil War, during which many of the architect’s designs and models were destroyed. The current form of the tabernacle is therefore based on the reconstruction of the original materials.

Originally funded only by donations

Construction was also slow due to the fact that it was originally financed exclusively by donations and contributions from the public. Since the budget was enriched by income from entrance fees, it has grown significantly. For example, according to the Independent, more than 4.7 million visitors visited the temple last year alone. Most of them pay for entrances between 21 and 40 euros (about 532 to 1013 crowns) depending on the age and purchased circuit.

Last year, Sagrada Familia earned almost 130 million euros in this way, which is almost 3.3 billion crowns. More than half of the income is invested in the construction, part goes to the maintenance of the temple. So there is a high probability that the Catalans will be able to finish according to the plan – 100 years after Gaudí’s death.

An interesting fact is that the building permit was only granted to the temple in 2019, until then due to a bureaucratic anomaly it was a black building.