The Sagrada Família is in the final phase of construction, and one of the most important milestones in this stage is the completion of the tower of Jesus Christ, expected for the end of this year. Over the past few weeks, the pieces that will make up part of the Cross that will top the pinnacle have been arriving from Germany. But what is this structure like and how much of it has been built?
Pinnacle characteristics
The tower dedicated to Jesus Christ will be topped with a 29-metre pinnacle with two sections: a 12-metre base or shaft and a huge three-dimensional four-armed cross, like the ones on other works by Antoni Gaudí such as Casa Batlló, Park Güell and Torre Bellesguard.
(In order): crosses at Casa Batlló, Park Güell and Torre Bellesguard
At the Sagrada Família, however, the size of the Cross is much different from the others: 17 metres tall (roughly five storeys) and 13.5 metres wide. Plus, its geometry will be based on the double twist, the same method Gaudí used to make the columns at the Temple
Jesus Christ tower's pinnacle
The following video shows how the Cross is shaped:
To design the pinnacle, the Temple’s team of architects studied a mould for a two-armed cross from 1921, made by Gaudí himself and preserved in the Temple’s collection, which also uses double twist geometry.
On the base that holds up the Cross, there are hexagons and trencadís mosaic with inscriptions praising Christ “Tu solus Sanctus, Tu solus Dominus, Tu solus Altissimus” (You alone are the Holy One, you alone the Lord, you alone the Most High), very similar to the inscriptions on the bell towers of the Nativity and Passion façades (“Hossana” and “Excelsis”) and the pinnacles of the towers of the Evangelists (“Amen” and “Alleluia”).
As noted in the Àlbums de Temple, the architect wanted the Cross to shine both day and night . So, it has white enamelled ceramic and glass, two shiny materials that can also stand up to exposure to the elements. Following Gaudí’s idea, spotlights will be installed on the towers of the Evangelists and the towers of the Apostles to illuminate the pinnacle, remembering Jesus, who said he was “the light of the world”. In fact, there is an original photograph from Gaudí’s time showing trial models for the Temple with this light effect.
Photo of the model of the Sagrada Família lit up (possibly from before 1919)
“Resting on the four extremely tall columns of the crossing, the great lantern will rise up, topped at 176 metres above the ground with a magnificent cross with four corrugated arms from which to look out over the surroundings. In the middle will be the Lamb of God and the words 'Amen' and 'Al·leluia'. The cross will be made of glass, reflecting sunlight during the day and projecting rays of light over the city at night with powerful spotlights...”
Quart Àlbum del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, 1927-1929
Another noteworthy aspect is that the tip of each arm will have automated natural ventilation for smart temperature control.
Construction process
Once the twelfth level of panels and the base of the pinnacle were put in place on the tower of Jesus Christ, for the past few months work has focused on building and assembling the pieces of the Cross, which are made off site and brought to the Temple by lorry.
Parts of the cross for the tower of Jesus
Once they arrive to the Basilica, the pieces are taken up to the roof (54 metres off the ground), where they are put together, the glass installed and the finishing touches put on the interior. As space is limited, after they are put together and before they are put in their final place, some pieces are taken to the transept roof on the Passion and Nativity sides to make room for the rest.
When this post was written the two pieces that will make up the core of the Cross for the have already arrived, and they have been taken up to the space 54 metres above the ground, where they will soon be assembled. The core is a key piece, joining all the arms of the cross. Once the tower is ready, the stairs will lead into this space and it will open onto each of the four arms.
The lower arm and one of the side arms of the cross have also arrived and work has begun to finish them. At the same time, at the factory in Germany concrete has been poured for the first half of the second arm and the formwork for the third and fourth arms is under way.
View of the first arm
Arrival of the two pieces of the core
One part of the core of the Cross, where the lower arm is located, rises to 54 meters.
Building process for the parts of the Cross of Jesus
In the next post, we’ll look at the characteristics of the tower of Jesus, what it will look like inside and how construction is progressing.
