Exterior Of The World’s Largest Church Has Been Completed After 144 Years

The exterior of the world’s largest Church, the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Spain, has been completed, 144 years after its construction began.

The church was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí in 1882, who devoted the last 43 years of his life to the project, but died in a tragic accident in 1926, with less than a quarter of it achieved. He was buried in the church’s crypt.

The last piece of the church’s exterior, a 56-foot-tall, three-dimensional, four-armed cross, was affixed to complete the tower of Jesus Christ located at the upper arm of the building. This brings the basilica’s height to a dizzying 566 feet.

Built in Germany with enamelled ceramic tiles, a stone interior, and glass sourced from Catalonia, Spain, the cross was transported back in parts by ferry and truck to Barcelona and assembled at the Church.

The project took a century and a half to complete, owing to its reliance on private donations, and has been supervised by numerous architects over several decades.

With the exterior completed, attention will turn to the church’s interior, which requires additional work, including decorative elements, sculptures (including the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God), and the cladding on the cross’s arms.

Meantime, the church intends to celebrate its completion, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, with year-long activities, hoping to drum up enough support from Catholics and visitors to finish the project by 2034.