Barcelona, large glass and steel star installed on Sagrada Família

A large luminous star of steel and crystal was installed this Monday on the Tower of Mary of the Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí ’s masterpiece in Barcelona. The 12-pointed star, 7.5 meters in diameter and weighing 5.5 tons, now towers over the church’s second tallest tower based on the design (138 meters: it is currently the main tower, because the tallest tower, the Jesus tower, which is to touch 172 meters, has yet to be built) and will be officially unveiled on the afternoon of December 8, Immaculate Conception Day, with a mass, after which it will be lit at 7:40 p.m. The event can be followed live on thespecial website dedicated to the star.

The star is made of crystal and has a stainless steel structure: during the day it will be illuminated by natural sunlight, and at night it will receive light from inside the church. The installation was very delicate: the star was hoisted onto the tower with a crane, and it was necessary to wait for good weather and no wind conditions before operations could proceed. Cost of the operation: 1.5 million euros. However, it was necessary for the completion of the tower: it is in fact the symbol of the morning star, one of the attributes of the Virgin, to whom the tower is dedicated.

“According to Gaudí himself,” said Jordi Faulí, chief architect of the Sagrada Família, “the tower of Mary has been completed with the bright 12-pointed star. Now it will be the turn of the five central towers, that of Jesus and those of the four evangelists, whose work has already begun.” Work on the Sagrada Família has been going on for 139 years: in fact, it was 1882 when the foundation stone of the spectacular church was laid. The house of worship was consecrated on Nov. 7, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, while the completion of the entire building, scheduled for 2026, will probably slip due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic.

Barcelona, large glass and steel star installed on Sagrada Família

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