Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia has officially become the tallest church in the world, Spanish authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The iconic basilica, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, now stands at 162.91 metres, after the installation of part of its central tower, overtaking Germany’s Ulmer Münster, which reaches 161.53 metres.
Ulmer Münster, a Gothic Lutheran church built between 1543 and 1890, had previously held the record for more than a century.
However, the Sagrada Familia is set to climb even higher, with its final height expected to reach 172 metres once construction is completed in the coming months.
The first stone of the basilica was laid in 1882, and only a few of its towers were completed before Gaudí’s death.
Despite ongoing construction, the Sagrada Familia has long been one of Barcelona’s most iconic landmarks, with millions of visitors each year helping to fund the continuing works through ticket sales.
