Sagrada Família to Surpass Ulm Minster as World's Tallest Church Tower

A new 172.5-meter glass cross will elevate Barcelona's iconic basilica, ending Ulm Minster's 130-year reign.

The Sagrada Família in Barcelona will add a 10-meter-tall glass cross to its central Jesus-Christ tower, reaching a height of 172.5 meters by summer 2025.
This addition will dethrone Ulm Minster in Germany, which has held the record for the world's tallest church tower at 161.5 meters for over 130 years.
The glass cross, designed to be hollow and walkable, is being constructed by Josef Gartner GmbH, a Bavarian company located just 36 kilometers from Ulm.
Construction of the cross resumed in late 2023 after delays caused by the pandemic, with assembly on the tower planned to begin in mid-2025 and take about two months.
The Sagrada Família aims to complete this project before the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudí's death in 2026, with total costs estimated in the low tens of millions of euros.