Montserrat November 15, 2009 and January 5, 2010

We have enjoyed two separate visits to Montserrat (Serrated Mountain), some 50 km north-west of Barcelona. My guide book tells me that "the serried ranks of wind- and rain-whipped rock pillars (reaching a height of 1236 m) were formed from a conglomeration of limestone, pebbles and sand that once lay beneath the sea". The mountain is best viewed from a distance as its makeup is quite unusual and awe-inspiring. One of Catalunya's most important shrines, a historic Benedictine Monastery, the Monestir de Monserrat, was built at 725m. It originated from the year 1025 to commemorate a vision of the Virgin Mary on the mountain. It was wrecked by Napoleon's troops in 1811 then abandoned as a result of anticlerical legislation in the 1830s. It was rebuilt in 1858 and is now home to about 80 monks. The most important religious icon in Calalunya is the medieval statue, La Moreneta (The Black Virgin), who is enclosed in glass high above the main altar (see picture below). She was found in one of the mountain caves in the 12th Century and is said to have been carved by the hands of St. Luke himself. In 2002 it was discovered that the Madonna is not black at all, just deeply tanned by centuries of candle smoke! (Catalans generally choose to ignore this discovery and line up to touch her orb all the same as she has been the official patron saint of the province since 1881.) Both times we visited we were disappointed to have missed hearing the very famous boys' choir, Escolania, sing "Salve Regina" and "Virolai", the hymn of Montserrat at 1 p.m. in the Basilica due to their being on holidays at the time.

On our most recent visit with Lou, because it was so foggy and damp, the boys were unable to hike on the mountain, so we spent time in the very interesting museum, which included some works by Monet, Degas, Picasso, Dali among others. Another part of the museum, the Espai Audiovisual, is a walk-through multi-media area highlighting the daily life of the monks and boys in the choir. There are between 40-50 "escolanets" between the ages of 10-14, who attend boarding school in Montserrat and must undergo a rigorous two-year selection process in order to join the choir.

The name Montserrat has become a popular name for little girls in Catalunya, generally shortened to "Montse". The receptionist at the Fonda Europa Hotel is called Montse!

Below is the Placa de Santa Maria from which you enter the courtyard of the 16th century Basilica.















A view of the pillar-like rock formation above the monastery and a dormitory of the monks.


































Entrance to the Basilica showing the facade's carving of Christ and the 12 Apostles, dating from 1901.





















A close-up view of the entrance to the Basilica















The Black Virgin looking over the High Altar to the congregation below-note the gold tilework surrounding the statue area




















Exiting the Church you are invited to light a candle















A miniature car club had visited when we were there in November and given permission to park in the Square. The drivers looked cold as they left in their little "convertibles" at dusk!















Another odd car was parked near us-completely rebuilt in fibreglas right to the road, it seemed! It had trouble managing the speed bumps!















An outing to Montserrat is definitely not to be missed-next time we'll pick a sunny day, bring a picnic lunch and hike to where the Black Virgin was supposedly found!

Adios!