Sagrada Família is now the tallest church in the world!

Barcelona's famous Sagrada Família is now the tallest church in the world.

On Friday workers placed the first part of a cross at the top of its central tower making it 162.91 metres tall.

That's over a metre more than the previous tallest church - Ulm Minster in Germany - which measured 161.5m.

And, the Sagrada Família is set to get even taller over the next few months, eventually standing at 172m tall after the rest of the cross is added.

More than four million visitors come to Barcelona to see the Sagrada Família each year

The Sagrada Família is already a very famous building, but until now was less well-known for its height and more for how long it's taken to build.

The first stone was laid in 1882, making it a building project which has now been going on for almost 150 years.

Acclaimed architect Antoni Gaudí took over the project a year after it had begun, making the designs much more ambitious than they had been originally.

But, he died suddenly in 1926, when only one of the planned 18 towers had been built.

Construction of the Sagrada Família began 143 years ago and is still ongoing

In the years since, the building - also known as a basilica due to its status in the Catholic Church - has seen many delays to its construction.

During the Spanish Civil War part of it was set on fire, destroying many of the original plans and models that would have helped guide the builders.

Building work also had to stop during the Covid-19 pandemic, partly due to money concerns, with no tourists able to visit due to the restrictions.

The main building of the Sagrada Família is due to be completed next year, but work on decorative details, sculptures and a stairway leading to the building's main entrance, is expected to continue over the next 10 years.