Inside the 3D Printing Technology Behind Sagrada Familia’s Cross

It is the Tower of Jesus Christ, standing 172.5 meters tall, that gives the Sagrada Família the distinction of being the tallest Catholic place of worship in the world. Pope Leo XIV blessed it on June 10, 2026, 144 years after the laying of the first stone. The spire crowning this tower is capped by a cross measuring 17 meters high, 13 meters wide and weighing over 12 tonnes, covered in more than 13,000 pieces of white glazed ceramic. Surprisingly, 3D printing played a role in producing elements for that cross—though not in the most obvious way.

Aldo Sollazo is the CEO of LAMÁQUINA, the digital manufacturing company that collaborated on the project alongside Cerámica Cumella. He explained to 3Dnatives that the ceramic tiles covering the cross were not themselves 3D printed; rather, 3D printing was used to create the molds.

“We used 3D printing at an intermediate and crucial stage of the process: to produce the molds that supported the pieces during firing,” he told us. These molds were made from a ceramic material compatible with the final decorative elements. “That approach allowed us to monitor the behavior of each assembly during the firing process and ensure every element retained its intended geometry before final installation.”

Each tile forming the cross has a unique geometry and therefore required a dedicated support to limit deformation during firing. “This is far more than a simple assembly-line process; it’s a manufacturing workflow carried out under strict control in which each mold acts as the intermediary between design, material and the construction process,” adds Aldo Sollazo.

Cerámica Cumella, the workshop responsible for the tower’s outer covering, handcrafted over 50,000 glazed pieces. To create the exterior surface of the cross alone, some 500 distinct forms in glass and white glazed ceramic were used. 3D-printed molds were specifically produced for many of these shapes, which is where LAMÁQUINA’s work became essential.

For Mr. Sollazo, the collaboration with Cumella was decisive: “That our technology contributed to a project of this scale demonstrates that 3D printing can be seamlessly integrated into highly complex architectural projects, helping to link structure, materials and production.”

Sollazo also emphasized that the technology did not replace traditional craft techniques but expanded their possibilities: “It doesn’t supplant traditional processes; it widens the field of what is achievable.” In this project, 3D printing was applied specifically to creating molds, but those molds played a tangible role in a construction story that has been unfolding—quite literally—over 144 years.

Using 3D-printed molds in ceramic production offers several practical advantages that can be observed in the Sagrada Família project. By enabling precise, repeatable geometries for unique pieces, these molds help control shrinkage and deformation during firing, reduce manual refitting on the assembly line, and speed up iterations when adjustments are required. At the same time, the method preserves the handcrafted character of the final glazed elements, which were still finished and assembled by Cerámica Cumella’s artisans.

The cooperation between digital manufacturing specialists and traditional ceramic workshops on the Sagrada Família illustrates how contemporary technologies and artisanal knowledge can complement each other. Complex architectural ornaments often demand both high design flexibility and exacting material behavior; 3D-printed molds provide a bridge between those demands, supporting the material through critical process steps until it achieves its final form.

What do you think about the role of 3D printing in the construction of the Sagrada Família?

*Cover photo credit: Carol Sambrano

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