Although the tallest tower of the temple, the tower of Jesus Christ, will not be ready until 2026, for now and by the end of 2022 the Sagrada Familia will have two new towers. These are the towers of Marc and Lluc. Each of them will be 135 meters high and will be crowned by the sculptures (heads) of the Lion and the Ox respectively.
According to Xavier Martínez, general director of the Construction Board of the temple and Jordi Faulí, architect director, the construction of the expiatory temple will continue with the erection of the six central towers.
With respect to the tallest tower, it is hoped that it will be ready by 2026 on the date that coincides with the anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death.
With the tower of Jesus, which at its top will have a four-armed cross measuring 17 meters, the basilica will reach a total height of 172.50 meters, the highest point.
The structure will be covered with white glazed ceramic and glass, so that it can reflect sunlight during the day and illuminate the city with spotlights at night.
The decoration of the towers will be based on the same characteristic tones of the basilica, the brick and the typography created by Gaudí himself.
Comparatively, the Mapfre Tower and the Hotel Arts are still the tallest buildings in the city at 154 meters.
The works were delayed by the pandemic which altered the plans for the temple. Economic recovery is expected to be achieved by 2024 to achieve revenues similar to those recorded in 2019.
Sagrada Familia will have two new towers
Although the specific date for the delivery of the works has not been detailed, it is expected to be specified soon.
The great advantage is that the Sagrada Família, after overcoming the pandemic, has been recovering and it is now feasible to resume the works. In fact, the recovery can be evidenced in the increase in the number of visitors, as well as in revenues and, of course, in the increase of resources for the work.
During 2020 and 2021, the temple’s situation was financially complex. They even had to resort to an online donation system available around the world.
The recovery of the basilica
It is estimated that by the end of this year, the Sagrada Familia will reach pre-pandemic levels with estimated revenues of 87 million euros and around 3.4 million visitors.
Thanks to these figures, the expiatory temple has managed to obtain 85% of the revenues achieved in 2019. Just this year, turnover reached 100 million euros.
This turnover, already recovering during 2022, allowed to increase the speed of construction.
