Lleida is playing a direct part in the Sagrada Família project in Barcelona, with local engineering and stone supply helping to keep work moving on Antoni Gaudí’s basilica.
Grúas Cerezo, based in Lleida and the Spanish concessionaire for Liebherr cranes, installed the cross on top of the 172-metre Jesus tower on 20 February. The milestone came as the centenary of Gaudí’s death was being marked.
In Les Borges Blanques, a warehouse stores stone from several places to keep the project supplied. The material comes from Cantabria, Argentina, Germany, Scotland, France and India, and the site is used to check quality, cut the stone and prepare it for the temple’s next stages. More Catalonia news
Àlex Masdéu, the geologist and stonemason responsible for stone quality and the workshop in Les Borges, said the team looks for rock that can withstand the weather. He said siliceous sandstone, similar to the stone once taken from the now-depleted Montjuïc quarries, is the best fit for the work.
The Les Borges site, which covers 1.5 hectares, currently holds about one-third of the material set aside for the Glory façade. Quarries and artisans from Juneda, Vinaixa, Les Borges Blanques and La Floresta have also supplied cut pieces, mainly for the interior. The project is now focused on the Glory façade and the four remaining towers, with completion currently forecast for around 2036.
Miquel Cerezo, chief executive of Grúas Cerezo, said the scaffolding around the crowned Jesus tower was removed in late March and early April, ahead of its blessing by Pope Leo IV. He said work inside the cross still needs another one or two months, and the main crane will stay in place until that is finished. The crane is due to be lowered in August, when construction pauses for holidays, before work continues on the Glory façade on Mallorca Street. Sagrada Família official site
The company is using specialist cranes designed for large skyscrapers, with three currently in use and a fourth planned for late 2026 or early 2027. The main crane reached 182 metres, with an extension to 207 metres, and can lift 64 tonnes. The cross pieces weighed between 20 and 24 tonnes. Liebherr