Plaatsvinden

The Sagrada Família is a large, but unfinished, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Barcelona. It is one of Spain’s most visited tourist attractions.

Their website is offered in English, Spanish and Catalan.  The homepage mentions that they are currently working on a new website, though the current one continues to provide all the visiting and other relevant information about the cathedral.

The basic information about the basilica is available on the site, such as opening hours, tours and charges.  Each of these are links found at the top right of the webpage next to a letter “i” signifying information.  While not easily noticeable at first, the links provide the information in a very straightforward and understandable manner.  The charges for visiting the cathedral and the associated museum are clearly stated for all types of visitors.  It also provides information on the audio-guides, guided tours, and group tours, along with a very clear description of exactly what the tickets buy.

Relevant information about the cathedral itself, the architecture and the architect are found on the left-hand side of the page under the headings “The Temple, History”, “What can you see”, “Architecture”, and “Services.”  There is a lot of useful information to be found under these links.  It gives great detail about the history of the temple, the architect Antoni Gaudi, and all those who have helped build and design the temple over the years.

The “What can you see” link provides a virtual tour of both the constructed part of the building and the part that is still under construction.  It also provides information about the permanent exhibitions on display.  Temporal exhibitions are also listed, though the information available at the time of writing appears to be from 2004 and hasn’t been updated, thus negating its usefulness.

The “Architecture” link provides you with information on the architectural style and also links to the Work Reports associated with the building’s construction.

Finally, the “Services” link takes you to the shop, the archives, the press contact information, and the Friends of the Temple.  The latter page seems to provide no information apart from a few pictures, but it turns out that the arrow (flashing discretely) is actually a link to a page with information on becoming a Friend…

The website, though it has minor problems, provides a great deal of information that would be useful to those doing research on the temple or those interested in visiting the temple. Perhaps it is appropriate that the website for one of the best-known unfinished cathedrals remains under construction as well.

Our verdict: recommended resource, 4/5