Overview
- A crane placed the 24-tonne base for the cross atop the central Tower of Jesus Christ, raising the basilica to 162.91 meters.
- The new height edges past Germany’s Ulm Minster at 161.53 meters, a change confirmed by the basilica’s building committee.
- The central tower is slated to reach about 172 meters once the full cross is installed, with an inauguration planned for June 2026.
- Major work on facades and interior decoration will continue for years, and church officials project overall completion in roughly a decade.
- Local planning for a proposed main-entrance stairway still awaits city approval and could require demolishing up to three blocks and relocating about 1,000 families.