BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica became the world’s tallest church on Thursday after a part of its central tower was lifted into place.

The masterwork of architect Antoni Gaudí now rises to 162.91 meters (534 feet) above the city, the church said in a statement. That barely beats out the tip of the spire of Germany’s Ulmer Münster, which tops out at 161.53 (530 feet) meters.

The Ulmer Münster, a Gothic Lutheran church built between 1543 and 1890, has held the title of the world’s tallest church. That bragging right now gets passed to its Spanish rival. Even though the Sagrada Familia does not claim the title, the numbers are there to compare: it is now just over a meter (3.2 feet) taller than the church in southern Germany.

And the Sagrada Familia is still growing

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