The Sagrada Família ’s Tower of Jesus Christ will be inaugurated and blessed on June 10, 2026 as part of the centenary celebrations of Antoni Gaudí’s death. The announcement was made in Barcelona at a press conference of the Junta Constructora Foundation of the Sagrada Família Espiatorio Temple, which outlined the program of the Gaudí Year celebrations. The central ceremony will be presided over by Pope Leo XIV, who will be called to bless the basilica’s central tower in an event that is part of the completion of the building designed by the Catalan architect.
The conference was held in the Hall of the Transept, located inside the Tower of Jesus Christ itself, 80 meters high, about 65 meters above the level of the temple. The space is located between the transept vaults and the base of the tower and is internally connected to the Virgin Mary and Evangelist towers through several bridges. The meeting was attended by Sagrada Família general director Xavier Martínez and chief architect Jordi Faulí.
In his speech, Martínez presented the overall framework of initiatives planned for the Gaudí Year, which includes 31 events spread between the fall of 2025 and Christmas 2026. As of October 2025, 12 have already been implemented, while the remaining 19 are scheduled by the end of the period. The total budget for the celebrations is 3.2 million euros, fully covered by a patronage plan promoted by the Sagrada Família. The director general also mentioned the entities involved in the project, including Audioguiarte, CaixaBank, Clorian Ticketing, Condis Supermercats, Cuatrecasas, Fundación Endesa, GetYourGuide, Henkel, TUI Musement, Palacios y Museos, Prosegur Security, Telefónica, Tiqets, and Viking.
The June 10, 2026 program included a floral tribute at 10 a.m. at the tomb of Antoni Gaudí, located in the crypt of the basilica. Instead, at 7:30 p.m., a solemn mass dedicated to the architect will be held, concelebrated by cardinals, bishops and presbyters and accompanied by choirs and musicians from different areas of Catalonia. At the end of the celebration, Pope Leo XIV will come out outside the basilica for the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ. The Kings of Spain, the president of the Spanish government and the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya are expected to attend the ceremony.
Public participation is regulated by an invitation system. The Sagrada Família has planned 4,200 admissions distributed through parishes to attend the solemn mass, while more than 4,000 people will follow the event from outdoor spaces, particularly along carrer Marina, in front of the Nativity Façade, thanks to screens installed for the occasion. The celebration will also be broadcast via institutional TV signal, social networks and big screens located in different points of the city. Among the entrances destined for the outdoors, 3,080 will be assigned to parish communities and 920 to institutional representatives of the Sagrada Família and the Archdiocese.
Chief architect Jordi Faulí reviewed the construction phases of the Tower of Jesus Christ, which started on October 16, 2018 with the placement of the first panels at an elevation of 85 meters. He recalled the completion of the last element of the cross on Feb. 20, 2026, and described the crowning of the tower, dwelling on its shape, materials, and symbolic meaning. He also reported that interior cladding work is ongoing, with the recent installation of the Lamb of God figure. Work still in progress includes the installation of an elevator and the future removal of the crane upwind.
At the end of the lecture, Faulí invited those present to tour the interior of the Virgin Mary Tower. With this program, the Junta Constructora Foundation of the Sagrada Família aims to strengthen the link between the public and the work of Antoni Gaudí, in the context of commemorative initiatives dedicated to the centenary of his death.
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| Sagrada Família, Tower of Jesus Christ prepares for blessing by Pope Leo XIV |
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