Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain

While visiting Barcelona, I decided to spend a couple of days in a place that I heard fascinating stories about  but  never visited. Montserrat (meaning serrated mountain) is a mountain monastery in Catalonia, Spain. Situated on top of  a rock mountain people journey from all over the world to see La Moreneta (Dark One) otherwise known as the Virgin of Montserrat (Black Madonna). This statue dates back to the 12^thcentury and was believed to have been carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church. It has been reported that when the construction of the monastery began, the Benedictine monks could not move the statue so they built around it.

Here is the backstory of Montserrat. In 880 AD  a small group of children saw a bright light descending from the sky in the Montserrat mountains. At  that same moment they heard angels singing beautiful songs  and for an entire month these visitations continued.  Not knowing what to do, they notified the religious elders who went to explore these occurrences, and to their surprise found  an image of the Black Madonna. Today the site of these visions have been preserved and marked by a Holy Grotto which is available for everyone to explore. The walk to get there is  a little over an hour but  I can honestly say it was one of the highlights of my stay. You will see what I mean when you watch the  Montserrat video.

Not only is Montserrat significant for its religious importance but the landscape surrounding the monastery is like no other. There are four walking trails for with unusual rock formations for you to explore. If you don’t feel like walking the trails, you can always take the funicular to the top of the mountain to see the amazing views of the Catalonian countryside.

The best way to get to Montserrat is either by private car or by train. It ‘s about an hour train ride from Barcelona but I decided to drive to stop along the way and catch some of the  local sights. A word of caution….I drove up on a Sunday morning and the roads along the mountain were jam packed with people trying to get to Montserret. (The train may have been a better option). Both locals and visitors go there to spend their  day walking the trails and listening to The Escolania Montserrat which is the oldest Boy’s choir in Europe. The  performances which take place in the Basilica of Montserrat are free and the musical sounds echoing through the mountains are simply hypnotic.

Putting a finishing touch on the experience I recommend an overnight stay at the Hotel Abat Cisneros. This is the only hotel on the property and it  sits in the heart of  the  Monastery. This special place use to provide  accommodations for pilgrims dating back to 1563. In the year of 2000 this hostel was converted into a hotel with the majority of rooms offering impressive views of the Montserrat Monastery, Montserrat mountain and the surrounding Llobregat valley. It’s sparse so don’t expect luxury but it has everything you need to compete your  peaceful journey. 

Enjoy this first look at Montserrat!

Place: Montserrat  https://www.montserratvisita.com/en/index.html

Stay: Hotel Abat Cisneros https://www.montserratvisita.com/en/organize-the-visit/where-to-sleep