Pope Leo XIV consecrates the spire of Barcelona's Sagrada Família, the world's tallest Christian church

On 10 June, Pope Leo XIV consecrated the spire of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona, which has become the world's tallest Christian church. The ceremony took place exactly 100 years after the death of architect Antoni Gaudí.

Pope Leo XIV consecrated the spire of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona on 10 June and celebrated a solemn mass there. The spire of Jesus Christ is the most important of the 18 spires that make up the cathedral as the highest and most central tower. With this spire, Sagrada Família now surpasses Germany's Ulm Cathedral by as much as 11 metres and is officially the world's tallest Christian church.

The consecration ceremony took place on an exceptional day: it was precisely 10 June that marked 100 years since the death of architect Antoni Gaudí, who had directed construction work since 1883. Gaudí himself did not live to see the church completed; he died tragically in a collision with a tram in 1926. The entire construction process has now lasted 144 years.

Sagrada Família was consecrated as a church in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, but the separate consecration of the spire is a symbolic final touch, with the spire, the cathedral has achieved its ultimate exterior form. It is expected, however, that local finishing work will continue for a few more years.

The completion of the spire in February marked a historic moment for the entire Christian world. Barcelona's iconic cathedral is one of the world's most renowned monuments and attracts millions of visitors each year. The consecration ceremony made 10 June 2026 one of the most important dates in the long history of the church.