Michael Strahan Tours Barcelona’s Sagrada Família as Tower Reaches New Height

Michael Strahan climbed into a view few visitors have ever seen: the top of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, where the basilica’s central tower has now reached 172.5 meters and made the unfinished church the tallest in the world. The image was both a television moment and a reminder of how global landmarks are increasingly packaged for modern audiences through exclusive access, dramatic height and the promise of a perspective most people will never get.

The Sagrada Família, in Barcelona’s Eixample district, has been under construction since 1882, when work began on Antoni Gaudí’s vast Catholic monument. Gaudí took over the project in 1883, and more than 140 years after the cornerstone was laid, the official history still describes the site as a project “promoted by the people for the people.” That long arc is part of the temple’s power. It is not simply a church, but a live public work of art, financed and maintained as a civic and spiritual symbol at once.

The new height milestone came on February 20, 2026, when the upper arm of the cross was installed on the tower of Jesus Christ, bringing it to its highest point at 172.5 meters. The first part of the cross had gone up on October 30, 2025, marking the start of the final phase of construction on the central tower. Officials say the basilica is now in its final stretch, with completion expected in 2026, a year that would also mark 100 years since Gaudí’s death in 1926.

That ending matters because the Sagrada Família’s appeal has always rested on more than scale. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its façades, stained glass and Christian symbolism, and it has drawn generations of tourists who come to see both faith and architecture made visible in stone. The basilica’s continuing construction has only intensified that draw, turning delay itself into part of the brand.

To support the final stage of work, officials say a new crane was installed with a top reaching 203 meters, underscoring the engineering challenge of finishing a structure that has outlasted its own creator by a century. For Barcelona, the Sagrada Família remains more than a landmark. It is a cultural product, a religious monument and a global visual asset, all rising together in the city’s skyline.