Sagrada Familia reaches its peak with completion of soaring central tower

People watch as a crane lifts the upper arm of the cross on to the Tower of Jesus Christ (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Barcelona’s towering Sagrada Familia basilica reached its maximum height on Friday, though the magnum opus of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi remains years away from completion.

A crane placed the upper arm of a cross atop the Tower of Jesus Christ, the church’s soaring central piece, which now stands 566 feet above the city, the church said.

While the unfinished monument is already the world’s tallest church, with Friday’s addition the Sagrada Familia inched closer to being done.

The first stone of the Sagrada Familia was placed in 1882, but Gaudi never expected it to be completed in his lifetime. Only one of its multiple towers was finished when he died at the age of 73 in 1926, after being hit by a tram.

People watch as a crane lifts the upper arm of the cross (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

In recent decades, work has speeded up as the basilica became a major international tourist attraction, with people enthralled by Gaudi’s radical aesthetic that combines Catholic symbolism and organic forms.

The inside of the Tower of Jesus Christ is still being worked on and its exterior is flanked by construction cranes and scaffolding.

But topping the central tower, which soars above the transept, has been a priority ahead of celebrations this June that will mark the centenary of Gaudi’s death.

The scaffolding surrounding the central tower is expected to be removed by June, in time for the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the church said.

The Sagrada Familia has reached its maximum height of 566 feet (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

As Gaudi had planned, the cross has four arms so its shape can be recognised from any direction, said Sagrada Familia’s rector, the Rev Josep Turull.

If Barcelona’s city government will allow it, the original plan also includes a light beam shining from each of the cross’s arms, symbolising the church’s role as a spiritual lighthouse, he added.

Millions of tourists visit the Sagrada Familia every year, and entrance fees largely fund the ongoing construction.

This year, the Sagrada Familia will hold several events to celebrate the Catalan Modernist’s legacy, which includes other stunning buildings in Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain.

The Sagrada Familia became the world’s largest church last October, when it rose above the spire of Germany’s Ulmer Munster, a Gothic Lutheran church built over 347 years starting in 1543. That church reaches 530 feet.

A prayer verse from the Gloria that Catholics recite at mass is at the base of the cross installed on Friday at Sagrada Familia, the church’s rector said.

It reads: “You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High.”