The Sagrada Família isn't finished: what was completed in 2026 and what's really left

Both of these things are true simultaneously, and the distance between them is what this article addresses. What will be completed in 2026 is not the Sagrada Familia itself: it is the exterior of just one of its towers, the tallest one, and with it, the final height of the building. What remains to be done is still listed, with names and details, on the official project website.

The piece is the cross of the tower of Jesus Christ, and its technical specifications were published by the basilica's blog on March 2, 2026: 17 meters high by 13.5 meters wide, within a spire 29 meters high, supported by a base of 12 meters. It is made of glazed ceramic and glass, in white, and its geometry repeats the double twist that Gaudí used in the temple's columns. At the base, there is a hexagonal mosaic with a Latin inscription: Tu solus Sanctus, Tu solus Dominus, Tu solus Altissimus.

The same technical sheet reveals a detail that few people mention: the ends of the arms have automated natural ventilation to control the temperature inside, and at night, the cross is illuminated by spotlights placed on the surrounding towers. Furthermore, the design itself wasn't invented in 2026; it was based on a mold of two arms created by Gaudí himself.

With that piece, the temple reached 172.5 meters, its final height, on February 20, 2026. The blessing took place almost four months later, on June 10, exactly one hundred years after the architect's death. And there lies the first misunderstanding of the year: the centennial is of Gaudí's death, not of the completion of the work. The coincidence of dates was intentional. The conclusion that many people drew from it, however, was not.

And what about the "tallest church in the world"? The information is circulating everywhere, but its origin is not the monument itself: the basilica does not claim this in any of its publications. Its current information section contains over six hundred entries, and in the review we conducted from May 2025 onwards, the record does not appear anywhere. The press and encyclopedias attribute it to the basilica. If it is cited, that is the source that should be named.

Something similar happens with Montjuïc. It's often repeated that Gaudí wanted the tower to be located below the mountain so that human creation wouldn's surpass that of God. Then, the discrepancy arises: one meter, half a meter, three meters. The heights published for Montjuïc don't match each other, so we won't find another figure here. The intention is documented, but the exact number is not.

The official blog has a section called "Construction Progress." Today, September 9, 2026, it estimates the construction at 70% and lists five ongoing projects: the Chapel of the Assumption, the second sacristy, the Tower of Jesus, the facade of Glory, and sections of the adjacent cloister.

That list needs to be read twice. Three months after the dedication, the Christ the Redeemer statue is still listed as an ongoing project on the monument's own tracking page. This isn't a mistake: what was completed in June was the exterior. The interior is a separate project, and it's still in progress.

Of the other four sections, two are elements that Gaudí had already designed, but which most visitors are unaware are still incomplete. The second sacristy is still used as an entrance and storage area, so it will likely be one of the last sections to be completed. The Chapel of the Assumption faces Provença Street and has been under construction for years. The cloister sections connect the entire complex from the exterior. And the facade of the Glory, which is the main entrance to the temple, doesn't even exist as an entrance yet; it's a project that hasn't even obtained all the necessary permits.

This is the section that generates the most revenue and the one that is least clearly explained. The basilica sells four types of tickets today, priced at €26, €30, €36, and €40, as listed on its own price list. Two of them include access to a tower. Neither of them includes access to the tower of Jesus Christ.

The towers that can be visited are those on the facades depicting the Nativity and the Passion, and you choose one when you purchase a ticket. The tower depicting Jesus Christ is not yet available for visitors and is not for sale. This information is stated on the official website for the centenary celebration, in the frequently asked questions section, with very clear wording.

Those "few months" were written before the inauguration. Three years have passed, and the calendar is still not published. Almost everything known about the space comes from the press: a glass elevator that goes up to the heart of the cross, and a capacity of about ten people per turn, according to what Metrópoli Abierta reported in March 2026. It is the most commercially valuable question in the entire sector, and today it still has no answer.

And one uncomfortable thing about the towers that you can climb: the basilica does not publish its rules anywhere. There is no official page with information about the number of steps on the descent, the minimum age, or the operation of the elevator. Four different figures for the number of steps circulate online, so we still cannot provide any specific information. The terms and conditions of purchase, which are published, are detailed in the four types of tickets for the Sagrada Família.

There is no official completion date for the project. There have been various statements made, and they contradict each other. When put together, they reveal a lot more than any single statement on its own.

The initial phase, which we are discussing here, is scheduled for June 2026, with the remaining work expected to be completed "a little more than ten years" later, in 2036 or beyond. Faulí didn't specify a precise year; he gave a timeframe and stated "the majority" would be finished, which is not the same as saying it would be completely finished. In the same interview, he listed what would still be outstanding even then: the Portal of Glory, the Chapel of the Assumption, and the second sacristy.

There's a section that summarizes it better than any statement. In January 2026, before the year of the centennial began, Infobae headlined: "2026, the year that couldn't be." It was right, even before it started.

According to what El Nacional published in February 2025, the license covers the structure of the facade, its four towers, and the eight columns, all within the property boundaries. It does not cover an exterior row of six columns that support cantilevered hyperboloids and extend approximately five meters beyond the property line. It also does not cover the staircase.

The staircase is the critical point. The building's facade would be about four meters above street level, requiring an access portico that would span Mallorca Street. Constructing this would necessitate the expropriation of several properties. How many? This is a question that no one can answer consistently: the figures circulating vary significantly, so this article will not provide any. However, the position of the construction committee is clear. In September 2025, its chairman, Esteve Camps, summarized it in four words: "The staircase will be built," and added that he did not rule out the possibility that a judge would ultimately make the decision.

The two things together give a measure of the situation. The part of the basilica that Gaudí cared about as an entrance, the part that organizes the entire symbolic journey of the temple, which is described on the architecture and symbolism page, is also the only part that depends on an agreement with the residents of a city block. One hundred and forty-four years of work, and the remaining obstacle is a municipal permit.

None of the above reasons should deter you from visiting. The Sagrada Família has been fully accessible from the inside for years: the naves are complete, the stained glass windows are in place, and the forest of columns is finished. What remains under construction is mostly located above and outside, and visitors pass through it without even noticing.

There's even a calendar-related argument in favor of going now. This is the last long period in which you can see the temple changing. Those who climbed a tower in 2015 saw a different silhouette than what you see today, and those who climb in 2032 will see another. The complete history of those one hundred and forty-four years is on the basilica's history page, and what has been planned for the anniversary is on the 1926 centennial page.