The race to complete one of the world's longest-running construction projects. The first stone of the Sagrada Familia was laid more than 130 years ago. Thanks to an influx of funding, some striking innovations and old-fashioned craftsmanship, the church is now on schedule to be finished in 2026. But the project has triggered impassioned debates along the way.

Clipped to the end of a giant red crane, the 25-ton panel — a marvel of stone and steel — begins its slow ascent. For the tourists gawking from the Barcelona street below, it’s an astonishing sight, this massive, chiseled slab dangling from a cord as it rises up the side of one of the world’s best known monuments. But it’s even more amazing for Jaume Oromí. As one of the heads of construction for the Sagrada Familia... [+]