MONTSERRAT "Mythic Mountain - Sacred Monastery"

Arriving through the flatlands northwest of Barcelona, we were stunned by one of the most impressive natural attractions in Spain. Halfway up, hidden from view, stands the monastery with its fortress-like atmosphere. We had the sense of something sacred and profound – both the mountains and the monastery – were an integrated whole.

The Funicular de Sant Joan – Take in the very best view of Montserrat at 1,000 meters altitude. The climb up on the funicular is an unforgettable trip in a vehicle that lifts you over 65% gradients.

The main square is the Placa de Santa Maria. The Basilica can be reached through the curved archways. You can get very close to the Black Madonna, which sits behind the altar on the right side of the Basilica entrance. The Madonna sits behind glass, her wooden orb protrudes so that pilgrims can touch it.

Don't miss the Holy Grotto (Santa Cova) – legend has it that the statue was found in this cave.

Tour the museum that contains objects of incalculable artistic and material value as well as a collection of modern and classical paintings by such legends as Monet, Manet and Picasso.

Quick Tips:

The complex is quite spread out and you need to plan your moves or the experience can be quite exhausting. We arrived on a Saturday and were stunned at the number of people. It took almost 45 minutes to find a place to park the car. Then a 20-minute walk up the road, 15 more minutes to get a table to find something to eat and we hadn’t even entered the monastery as yet. (Next time we’ll bring a picnic – the views are unbelievably inspiring).

The Mountain Trails – prepare to walk, and walk is what we did- through miles of paths that began crowded and blacktop and finished in quiet wooded paths. All along are great views of the monastery and also several very old buildings of worship. The mountain was sacred long before the establishment of the Benedictine monastery, and has long been the abode of hermits, a tradition that still survives today

Climbers: Montserrat is the closet crag to Barcelona, has many routes on it, and allows camping.. The mountain trekking paths are at times very narrow, sloping steeply and thus somewhat exhausting - not recommendable to anyone in poor physical condition.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can reach this magnificent site by car, by train (from FGC Pl. Espanya station, 7 days a week and every hour from 8:36am onwards – take the R5 Montserrat-Manresa line and alight at the Montserrat-Aeri station), or by bus (ask your hotel concierge for bus information). There is a spectacular funicular ride straight up the steep mountainside when you get there.

We couldn’t get over how they actually built this special place, this Monastery of Montserrat (The Serrated Mountains) -- built way up on a 4,000-foot cliff. We could appreciate the comments read about the monastery and gave new meaning to this place being considered Catalonia’s holiest place. The monastery was first mentioned in the 9th century, enlarged in the 11th century (only ruins are left), and in 1409, became independent of Rome. By the end of the Middle Ages, the monastery had become a center of great importance for pilgrimages and devotion. Pilgrims came from all of Catalonia to the monastery to visit the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Four years ago the Pope made his own pilgrimage.

What I love about travel, is that in your discovery of a location or a site, you can fill in the blanks of history for yourself. Like learning that in 1811, the French attacked Catalonia and the monastery was destroyed. It was rebuilt and repopulated in 1844, and is now run by Benedictine Monks. The most notable icon at Montserrat is the Black Madonna. It is said that to have been made by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in 50 AD. Carbon dating, however, has determined that the statue was carved around the 12th Century. Regardless of its origin and like all other religious objects, the Black Madonna represents humankind’s faith in God.

There is so much to do here, we could have spent a few days to take in the valuable painting collection, library, and museum.. At Montserrat, St. Ignatius of Loyola devoted himself to his religious vocation just before the founding of the Society of Jesus.

The mountain of Montserrat, which means "serrated mountain", is a unique geological formation of such unique beauty that it has long captured the imagination of artists, local and from abroad. Having been in Barcelona prior to coming here, we were introduced to Gaudi and his followers. We could see some of his influence playing itself out here. It seemed appropriate to discover that Richard Wagner stayed there for some time and that his opera Parsifal uses Montserrat as its backdrop

In the Middle Ages the mountain, also called Monsalvat, was thought to have been the site of the castle of the Holy Grail. Now we’ll have to go read more about the Holy Grail to appreciate that aspect of the mountains myth.

Stepping up the elevations and arriving at the impressive Square of St. Mary, we embraced the Arches of the Facade to the Monastery (looking out from the Atrium onto St. Mary's Square), which house two 16th C. tombs, the porch of the old Romanesque Church (12th C.), and a statue of St. Benedict. This group of Arches is an excellent balcony from which on clear days, one can see the Llobregat river basin, which flows into the Mediterranean after having passed through many industrial towns near Barcelona."

Still struck by the span of time and architectural styles used in building the monastery, we walked through the Modern Facade of the Monastery, which leads into the Atrium of the Basilica. Note the Latin phrase written over it’s arch, 'Urbs Jerusalem Beata Dicta Pacis Visio' which means 'Happy City of Jerusalem, called the Vision of Peace'.

Like Barcelona, artwork is everywhere -- the three upper Balconies are decorated with works of the sculptor Joan Rebull (1899-1981). The one on the left evokes the figure of St. Benedictine, father of monks and patron saint of Europe. The one in the middle represents the proclamation of the Assumption of Mary as dogma by Pope Pius XII. The one on the right portrays St. George, with a representation of the monks who tragically died during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39)

On the way out from this square, note the series of sculpted figures that encloses St Mary's Square to the right that is devoted to the founding saints of the various religious institutions that have been related to Montserrat over the centuries.

Through many wars and devastation the Basilica was started in the 16th century – the present basilica was begun in 1559 and was consecrated in 1592. As the years progressed additions and changes were made and the current, finished Basilica as you know see it was complete about 1900. Napoleon’s Army destroyed Montserrat in 1811-12. The reconstruction began in 1858. Parts of the Basilica are original.

The buildings that front the basilica are modern and do not reflect what lies behind – we were delighted by our visit to enter into another of Europe’s great Basilica’s – and paused to admire the rich Renaissance style with some Gothic features.

The Atrium of the Basilica, known as the Atrium of Abbot Argerich (18th C) was decorated in 1952-56 with designs by Josep Obiols and Father Bebet Martinez. The black and white marble floor (1952) gets its inspiration from the floor of the Capitolium in Rome designed by Michelangelo. In the center there are allegories and a Latin inscription that refer to Baptism.

At 5pm the oldest boy's choir in Europe, the Escolania (The Montserrat Choir School) which dates back to 1223, sing for the public. It is a profound experience to sit in the Basilica, with it’s extraordinary acoustics, and listen to them sing 12 century Gregorian Chants. Arrange your schedules to take in one of their two performances per day.

The Monastery community consists of about 80 monks who follow the 6th-century Benedictine Rule. They largely dedicate their time to deepening their understanding of the religious experience, working and receiving pilgrims. The Benedictine Monks have trained this choir for the last 800 years.

Waiting in line in the Basilica, as wended around the right side and then through a hall, up some steps, then some more steep narrow steps, we were stunned at the size of La Moreneta. For some reason, your mind creates a scale when you read about these religious works of art, and then when the statue comes into perspective, your mind needs to come in sync with what your seeing. Perhaps visits to various European cathedrals and national museums have shaped my expectations and perspective. We just loved that the Black Madonna was less than 3 feet in height.

The small wooden statue of La Moreneta (the Dark Maiden) offered her orb through the encased glass – and we could see how it has come to be known as the soul of Montserrat. It is said to have been made by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in AD 50. Centuries later, the statue is believed to have been hidden from the Moors in the nearby Santa Cova (Holy Grotto).

Carbon dating suggests, however, that the current statue was carved around the 12th C. in 1881, Montserrat's Black Madonna was crowned in accordance with Canon Law and proclaimed Patron Saint of the dioceses in Catalonia, by Pope Leo XIII.

The cult of the Virgin of Montserrat, popularly known as "La Moreneta" because of the dark material of which she is sculpted, is the most popular cult in Catalonia. The "Moreneta", whose full title is "Mare de Deu de Montserrat", is housed in the Benedictine abbey that has become world famous also for its boy’s choir and school of music. This monastery was also notorious during the Franco regime for being a stronghold of Catalan culture and language. In direct defiance of Franco’s anti-Catalan laws, the monks of Montserrat continued celebrating marriages and baptisms in Catalan after the Civil War. The monastery became a refuge for the many currents of Catalan nationalism that remained underground until Franco’s death in 1975.

Our present Pope, John Paul II, made his own pilgrimage here five years ago.

One of the most memorable walks was along the path to the Holy Grotto ('St. Michael's Path') and the Monumental Rosary – very meditative experience, with its surprising views. The path is beautiful as you pass the 15 groups of sculptures corresponding to the mysteries of the Rosary. They are to be found all along the path to the Holy Grotto

This Monumental Rosary was begun in 1896 and was completed in 1910. Many architects, sculptors, and artisans took part: that is why each part has its own style. The decisive role of architects like Josep Puig i Cadafalch or Antoni Gaudi and of sculptors like Josep Llimona or the Vallmitjana brothers has unified it. It is rightly known as the most important architectural monument in the outdoors of the Catalan Modernist Movement.

The Chapel of the Holy Grotto - the place the original 'La Moreneta' was found dates from the end of the 17th C and the beginning of the 18th C. The area was greatly damaged during the Napoleonic wars (1811-1812), just like the Monastery and Shrine.

The Chapel dates from the end of the 17th C and the beginning of the 18th C. The area was greatly damaged during the Napoleonic wars (1811-1812), just like the Monastery and Shrine. Two major Restoration Projects have been undertaken, the first in the 1850s and the second, in the mid 1990s as a result of the ravages of a Forest Fire coupled with heavy rainfall, resulted in a completely restored Holy Grotto being opened again to pilgrims on March 19, 1997

With an awareness of Gaudi from our experiences in Barcelona and Sagrada Familia, we were very touched by the Josep M Subirach's Sculpture of St.George, towards the top of Our Lady's Hill. It seemed reminiscent of some of the sculptures on the facade of the Passion of the Temple of the Holy Family (Sagrada Familia) in Barcelona, only to find out it was the work of the same sculptor.