Tallest church/cathedral spire

The tallest church in the world is the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. On 31 October 2025, masons working on the central Tower of Jesus Christ added the first section of the stone pinnacle that will crown the spire. This brought its height to 162.91 m (534 ft 5.7 in), breaking the record held by the spire of Ulm Minster in Germany since 1890.

The Sagrada Família is a Roman Catholic basilica, designed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí in the 1880s. Construction commenced on 19 March 1882, and has continued with only a few periods of inactivity ever since.

Gaudí envisioned the construction of the Sagrada Família as a centuries-long project, akin to the great cathedrals of medieval Europe. When asked about his schedule, he famously remarked "My client is not in a hurry". The pace of construction has accelerated dramatically over the last few decades, however, as wooden scaffolding and workers with chisels and hammers have given way to tower cranes, computer models, and precisely CNC machined stonework.

It is planned that the basilica will be completed in time for the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death in 2026.