The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death
Yesterday, the construction team working on Barcelona’s most famous building – the Sagrada Familia Basilica – presented architectural elements which will form part of the large cross pinnacle that will crown the Modernist temple. The cross, which will be completed in 2026 in time to mark the centennial of Antoni Gaudi, will also serve as a viewpoint capsule open to visitors.
According to the architects, the hollow interior of the cross will be able to hold 11 visitors at a time, who will be able to enjoy the most commanding views over the city. The cross (17 metres tall and 13.5 metres wide) will sit atop the Tower of Jesus Christ, whose completion is still underway but is expected to end sometime next year.
The cross itself will be composed of a mixture of glass and ceramic produced specially for the World Heritage Site. The ceramics include curved and pyramid pieces, and there will be windows with three layers of curved, laminated glass with ground, polished pyramids and textures.
The highest manmade point in Barcelona
The official unveiling of the cross pinnacle will not end the ongoing construction of the Sagrada Familia itself; that process is expected to continue until 2034. However, residents and visitors of Barcelona will finally be able to see the maximum height that the structure will reach.
Interestingly enough, Antoni Gaudi planned for the Basilica to stand just a bit shorter than the Montjuïc Hill because he believed that his creation should not surpass that made by God. Thus, with the installation of the cross, Sagrada Familia will reach a height of 172.5 metres – five metres lower than the hill.