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New towers of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia will make it Europe's 'tallest religious building'

Associated Press
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A model of the Sagrada Familia Basilica designed by architect Antoni Gaudi is displayed at the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Barcelona's breathtaking La Sagrada Familia Basilica has begun its final phase of raising six immense towers. Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central "Tower of Jesus Christ," the tallest of the six, will rise 172.5 meters (566 feet) high, making it "the tallest religious building in Europe." (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) (The Associated Press)

Chief architect Jordi Fauli speaks during a news conference explaining the progress of the work at the Basilica Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Barcelona's breathtaking La Sagrada Familia Basilica has begun its final phase of raising six immense towers that officials say will make it Europe's tallest religious building. Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central "Tower of Jesus Christ," the tallest of the six, will rise 172.5 meters (566 feet) high. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) (The Associated Press)

A view of the Sagrada Familia Basilica, designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Barcelona's breathtaking La Sagrada Familia Basilica has begun its final phase of raising six immense towers. Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central "Tower of Jesus Christ," the tallest of the six, will rise 172.5 meters (566 feet) high, making it "the tallest religious building in Europe." (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) (The Associated Press)

Barcelona's breathtaking La Sagrada Familia Basilica, designed by visionary architect Antoni Gaudi, has begun its final phase of raising six immense towers that officials say will make it Europe's tallest religious building.

Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central "Tower of Jesus Christ," the tallest of the six, will rise 172.5 meters (566 feet) high, making it "the tallest religious building in Europe."

The towers and most of the church's structure should be completed in 2026 for the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death.

The Sagrada Familia, an emblematic fixture of the Barcelona skyline and a major tourist site, had its first stone laid in 1882. It is 70 percent complete.

It received over 3.2 million visits in 2014.