Mont serrat, or “the serrated mountain” is a magnificent setting for Catalonia’s holiest place, the Monestir de Montserrat (Monastery of Montserrat). We visited in early February, 2001. Located east and a bit north of Barcelona, the monastery sits atop a 5,000 ft. mountain, and we ascended into the clouds, spiraling upward until reaching the summit when we broke into sunlight and gazed above us at the clouds which surrounded the remaining mountains, showing their serrated tips jutting almost to the heavens. What a sight.

The monastery was first established in the 9th century, and enlarged in the 11th century. In 1811, in the War of Independence, the monastery was destroyed and the monks killed. Rebuilt and repopulated in 1844, it was a beacon of Catalan culture during the Franco years. Today this large compound is beautifully maintained by the Benedictine monks.

A small wooden statue of La Moreneta (the dark one) is the soul of Montserrat. This statue, carved around the 12th century, is Montserrat’s Black Virgin, which became patroness of Catalonia in 1881. The statue is situated behind the alter of the Basilica, protected behind glass, which has a small cutout allowing pilgrims to touch the orb she holds in her right hand.

The opulence of the marble and gold-leafed Cathedral de Montserrat starkly contrasts with the concept of “monastery.” We toured the perimeter of the basilica, which offers the most beautiful and richly adorned small prayer rooms and hallways leading to the elevated site where the carved Virgin of Montserrat is located behind and above the alter. After the tour, we entered the basilica interior to sit and enjoyed he beauty of the church while waiting for the choir to sing.  The church was filled with murals, painted frescos, tiled panels, and decorated arches, finished in gold. It was a visual feast. Then, at the appointed hour, a choir of angelic boys somberly filed into the church, and filled its interior with their high, pure voices, as they sang the Virolai, the Montserrat hymn.

We decided to forego the tram ride up the mountain to a higher lookout point since the clouds were once again settling in, obscuring the distances below, and headed down the mountain to carry on with our adventure.

If you find typographical errors or have any other problems when looking at the site please contact the Webmaster describing the problem and the page involved.