Rome may not have been built in a day, and neither, it seems, was Barcelona. Spain’s most visited city is home to La Sagrada Familia, the world’s longest-running active construction project.
Construction on Antoni Gaudi’s basilica began in 1882, 144 years ago, but progress was repeatedly delayed by the architect’s death, the destruction of key design models, uncertain funding and, more recently, the pandemic.
It is little surprise that in Catalonia, people still say: ‘This is taking longer than the Sagrada Familia’.
That long chapter entered a new phase last week. On June 10, marking 100 years since Gaudi’s death, Pope Leo XIV came to Barcelona to inaugurate the basilica’s final tower, the Torre de Jesucristo, during the first official papal visit to Spain in 15 years. With the completion of the spire, La Sagrada Familia is now officially the tallest church in the world.
A hundred years since Gaudi’s death, Pope Leo XIV arrives in Spain to inaugurate the finishing of the Sagrada Familia’s final tower, the Torre de Jesucristo. With the tower complete, the basilica is now officially the tallest church in the world
Walking around the basilica before the Pope’s arrival, the sense of anticipation across the city is unmistakable. Posters line the streets, specially made T-shirts fill shop windows and police officers stand ready.
Although the Pope was not due for another six hours, crowds had already gathered in excitement. ‘It’s incredible,’ one man from Majorca told me, explaining that he had travelled six hours from his hometown to witness the moment.
An Italian mother and child are sitting playing games to while away the hours, and girls visiting from Nepal pose in front of the barriers. For the Catholic church, it’s a day of huge significance. But it’s hard to ignore how the basilica’s completion will contribute to Barcelona’s acute overtourism crisis, which saw locals take to the streets to protest in 2024.
A record 30million visitors are expected in the Barcelona this year, with seat availability from the UK alone up by 8.9 per cent, according to aviation data company, Cirium.
Tripadvisor has seen search demand for ‘Barcelona history tours’ spike by 17,257 per cent in the past 12 months, and GetYourGuide has seen the city ‘put on the map’ like never before, with travellers from destinations as far flung as Brazil and Japan newly showing interest in visiting Spain.
‘It’s so busy already, I can’t imagine any more visitors,’ a barista at a nearby cafe tells me.
Over 30million visitors are expected to Barcelona this year, up from 16illi
Indeed, while tourism makes up 13 per cent of Barcelona’s GDP, it has caused economic strain for residents: rent has spiked by 62.1 per cent over the past ten years due to short-term lets, and the ballooning cost of leisure activities has made the city inaccessible for those who actually live there.
And while the Familia was officially ‘finished’ this year, there is still more to come: while still under negotiation, there are plans to build a Glory Facade outside the basilica. Construction is expected to displace 15,000 residents.
‘You cannot celebrate a monument to humanity by making local families feel invisible,’ says property entrepreneur Camilo Fernandez. ‘If residents are affected, they need a solution that protects the neighbourhood, not just the postcard image of Barcelona.’
As the afternoon draws on the crowds continue to grow, and it’s clear that it should be a cause for celebration, the culmination of 144 years of work begun by one of Spain’s most important figures.
But, equally, as residents skirt around the city’s central areas, cordoned off, it serves as a reminder of the division between locals and visitors.
It remains to be seen whether the city is ready to embrace its position as one of the world’s most sought-after spots – or if all 560ft of the Torre de Jesucristo will remain a reminder of Barcelona’s deep internal conflict.
