Barcelona's Sagrada Familia has nearly been completed after more than 140 years

It's been around for longer than any of us, but after 140 years the Sagrada Familia in Spain is only just nearing its completion.

That's right - I said 'nearing'. Countless buildings have popped up in the last century, but the Sagrada Familia is still not done.

Still, locals in Barcelona have recently been able to celebrate a milestone in its construction as the church's four iconic towers have officially been completed.

Facebook/Basílica de la Sagrada Família

Each one of the towers represents one of the four evangelists; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who are credited with writing the gospels which told the story of Jesus' life.

Symbols to honor Matthew and John were installed on the iconic church last week, with Matthew represented by a statue of a man, while John's tower is marked with an eagle.

The statues joined sculptures of a lion, symbolising Mark, and an ox, which represents Luke, which were installed last year.

The completion of the towers comes 141 years after the first stone was laid at the Sagrada Familia in 1882. The world-renowned building was designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, who, needless to say, sadly hasn't lived to see the building in its finished state.

Gaudí is now buried in the church's crypt as the construction continues to complete his vision: a church with 18 towers which each symbolizing a different biblical figure.

Facebook/Basílica de la Sagrada Família

To mark the milestone moment of the completed evangelist towers, a celebratory mass is set to take place next month.

The Sagrada Familia Facebook page wrote: "The four towers of the Evangelists are finished! Soon we’ll be celebrating this building milestone!"

The four evangelist towers will be illuminated when the inauguration mass is held on 12 November, after which they will stay lit up until Christmas.

With the four towers now complete, construction workers will turn their attention to the church's central and tallest tower, which is dedicated to Jesus Christ.

The final tower is set to stand at 172.5 meters tall (566 feet), and will be crowned with a 17-meter-tall (56-foot) cross.

Facebook/Basílica de la Sagrada Família

While it might seem like the church will never be fully finished, it does actually have an end date in sight - and one that really isn't too far away.

The Sagrada Familia is currently expected to be finished in 2026; the same year that will mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death.

When it's finally complete, the Sagrada Familia will overtake Ulm Minster in Germany to become the world’s tallest church.

Topics: World News

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.