Barcelona, Spain, Oct 31 (EFE).- The Sagrada Família in Barcelona surpassed the Ulmer Münster in Germany as the world’s tallest church by a few meters after placing the first large piece of the cross that will crown the Jesus Christ tower.
According to the Barcelona church, this first piece of the cross raisebs the basilica to 162.91 meters — slightly more than one meter higher than Ulmer Münster, whose spire reaches 161 meters.
The tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest in Antoni Gaudí’s temple, currently stands at 162.91 meters.
Once the entire cross is installed, it will rise to 172.5 meters.
It will be slightly shorter than Barcelona’s Montjuïc mountain at 173 meters, which was Antoni Gaudí’s express wish as he did not want to surpass an element of nature, considering it a “work of God.”
The Jesus Christ tower is expected to be completed in a few months, though the official inauguration is scheduled for June 2026, coinciding with the centenary of the Catalan architect’s death.
The new piece installed on the Jesus Christ tower is the lower arm of the cross, which measures 7.25 meters high and weighs 24 tons.
With double-turn geometry, the lower arm is square at the base and octagonal at the top.
It is clad in white glazed ceramic and glass, materials that stand out for their luminosity and resistance to atmospheric conditions. EFE
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