A beautiful view. Interesting mountains. A monastery tucked into the mountains. A one-hour drive from Barcelona, Spain. Nothing else falls into all of these categories than Monasterio de Montserrat, also known as the Montserrat Monastery. It’s a bit of travel outside of the city, but the history and the view truly make it worthwhile.
My group hopped on a bus at around 8 am and started our trek to the monastery. Our tour guide kicked off the trip by telling us some facts about the mountain itself and the monastery tucked within it. Once the information session was over, I took advantage of the quiet, peaceful drive and took a nap or two, as did many of my acquaintances.
The view from the ride up the mountain was so beautiful that I could look past my ears popping due to the altitude and fear from the scary turns on the drive up. By the time we made it to our destination, it was freezing. Not actually, scientifically, freezing, but to this southern girl, it was rather cold. I think it was in the lower 40s rather than the low 50s that it was when we left Barcelona. The view was worth the cold. You could see for miles around until everything faded into fog.
The buildings that comprise the monastery are beautifully made. We found out that Napoleon’s army destroyed parts of the buildings, and the citizens of Catalonia helped to rebuild them. While walking around the property, we were told many stories and learned about everything around us. For example, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found in a nearby cave where it was originally constructed. It now lives in the back of the chapel. We also learned about the monks and boys who live on the mountain. There is a boarding school on the premises where boys from all over live and go to school. Not only do they go to school on the mountain, but they sing in the church’s choir as well. The monks do many things throughout the day in addition to attending mass and reading. They all take turns cooking meals and doing various labor jobs. One of those is to create books. They print and bind books as one of their daily jobs.
We got to walk through a museum of artifacts and special documents that they have created over the years. There was also a section where we could sit and watch a video about the monks, as well as see the boys’ choir sing. It was beautiful.
As soon as mass was finished, we were permitted to walk into the chapel. There were so many interesting sculptures and paintings lining the hallway along the side of the chapel. In true Gaudí fashion, there were mosaics on display in many areas of the chapel. The mosaics created beautiful art of history across the walls and ceilings, as well as gorgeous stained glass windows.
We slowly worked our way down the hallway until we made it to the Virgin Mary Statue, also known as Our Lady of Montserrat or La Moreneta (The Little Dark One). It was stated that when it was found in a nearby cave, and they tried to move it, it became too heavy to move, and they instead held church there. It now lives in the back of the church, overlooking the congregation. Visitors can walk up to see the statue up close behind protective glass. The woman holds the globe in her hand, symbolising the universe, and the baby Jesus holds a pinecone, symbolising fertility and everlasting life. We were told that we could touch the globe in the hand of the statue, and we could receive blessings. Only the edge of it can be touched through the glass. Exiting that section of the church, we walked through the votive chapel where people light candles in prayer to the Virgin Mary.
After, we stopped by the gift shop and I grabbed a postcard to look back at later. There was also a market along the sidewalk the day we visited, with locals selling fresh foods. In addition to those chances to shop, there is a cafe available for visitors to grab a bite to eat while atop the mountain.
Visiting Montserrat Monastery was a wonderful experience, and I am so glad I got the chance to do so. If you are looking for something interesting to do outside of Barcelona, do this. You’ll be glad you made the trek.
Leave a Reply