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BARCELONA, SPAIN \u2014 Barcelona\u2019s towering Sagrada Familia basilica reached its maximum height on Friday, though the magnum opus of Catalan architect Antoni Gaud\u00ed remains years away from completion.<\/p>\n
A crane placed the upper arm of a cross atop the \u201cTower of Jesus Christ,\u201d the church\u2019s soaring central piece, which now stands 172.5 meters above the city, the church said.<\/p>\n
While the unfinished monument is already the world\u2019s tallest church, with Friday\u2019s addition, the Sagrada Familia inched closer to being done.<\/p>\n
The first stone of the Sagrada Familia was placed in 1882, but Gaud\u00ed never expected it to be completed in his lifetime. Only one of its multiple towers was finished when he died at the age of 73 in 1926, after being hit by a tram.<\/p>\n
In recent decades, work has sped up as the basilica became a major international tourist attraction with people around the world visiting Barcelona to see the monument, enthralled by Gaud\u00ed\u2019s radical aesthetic that combines Catholic symbolism and organic forms.<\/p>\n
The inside of the \u201cTower of Jesus Christ\u201d is still being worked on and its exterior is flanked by construction cranes and scaffolding. But topping the central tower, which soars above the transept, has been a priority ahead of celebrations this June that will mark the centenary of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
The scaffolding surrounding the central tower is expected to be removed by June, in time for the inauguration of the \u201cTower of Jesus Christ,\u201d the church said.<\/p>\n
As Gaud\u00ed had planned, the cross has four arms so its shape can be recognized from any direction, said Sagrada Familia\u2019s rector, the Rev. Josep Turull. If Barcelona\u2019s city government will allow it, the original plan also includes a light beam shining from each of the cross\u2019s arms, symbolizing the church\u2019s role as a spiritual lighthouse, he added.<\/p>\n
Millions of tourists visit the Sagrada Familia every year, and entrance fees largely fund the ongoing construction.<\/p>\n
This year, the Sagrada Familia will hold several events to celebrate the Catalan Modernist\u2019s legacy, which includes other stunning buildings in Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain.<\/p>\n
The Sagrada Familia became the world\u2019s largest church last October, when it rose above the spire of Germany\u2019s Ulmer M\u00fcnster, a Gothic Lutheran church built over 347 years starting in 1543. That church tops out at 161.53 meters (530 feet).<\/p>\n
A prayer verse from the Gloria that Catholics recite at mass is installed at the base of the cross installed Friday afternoon at Sagrada Familia, the church\u2019s rector said.<\/p>\n
It reads: \u201cYou alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n