Montserrat is the famous monastery of the oldest monastic Order of St. Benedict, a religious shrine and a place of pilgrimage for Catholic Christians, is a symbol of spirituality and the cult center of Spanish Catalonia.
About the monastery
The monastery got its name thanks to the mountainous area of Montserrat, where it is majestically located on the top of a mountain, at an altitude of more than 700 m. Since 1987, the picturesque surroundings adjacent to the monastery have been a national park of Catalonia.
The first mentions of Montserrat Monastery date back to the chronicles of 880, when there were only four small sketes (churches). In 1025 a monastery was founded by the monks of the order. The construction stretched out over many decades, but by the 12th century, the architectural complex of the monastery was finally formed as it can now be seen. Montserrat suffered huge damage during the war with Napoleon, the monastery was completely destroyed and burned, with the exception of the Romanesque portal of the cathedral and the remains of the Gothic gallery. Very famous artists, sculptors and architects of the 19th and 20th centuries worked on the restoration of the monastery, which took more than a hundred years. Therefore, its architectural decoration is represented by several styles, but the predominance of modernism still prevails.
sights
Over the thousand-year history of Montserrat Monastery, many values have been created and collected here, which are rightfully recognized as its spiritual and cultural heritage.
Montserrat Library
It is considered one of the best European libraries. Its fund consists of more than 300 thousand volumes and 2 thousand manuscripts. Here is the famous Red Book of Montserrat - a collection of medieval texts and songs from the late 14th century. The entrance to the library by strangers is prohibited, the exception is made by world famous scientists, and only men.
Statue of the Mother of God and Child on Her Knees (XII century)
The 95 cm statue of the Madonna, carved from black poplar, hence its name "Black Maiden". It is a national shrine of Catalonia and the whole of Spain in general, attracting numerous pilgrims. There are legends about the miraculousness of the statue, so there is always a huge line of people lining up to it.
Montserrat Museum
It impresses with its magnificent unique exhibits. The themes of his collections are very diverse: from Spanish antique treasures to archaeological artifacts of the Middle East, iconography of the Madonna and painting masterpieces of the 15th – 18th centuries. Here are collected beautiful paintings by El Greco, Monet, Dali, Degas, Giordano, Caravaggio, and others. The museum even has a rich exposition of Orthodox iconography.
Escolania de Montserrat
The oldest singing school known throughout Europe with a seven-hundred-year history, where about 50 boys study music and choral singing. Pupils of "Escolania" live in the monastery and along with the musical they also receive a good general education. From the middle of the XX century. the children's choir, in addition to Montserrat, performs in Catalonia and gives tours outside Spain. The choir's repertoire includes church chants and classical choral works by famous composers.
The monastery is surrounded on all sides by picturesque rocks, which are also among its attractions. Mountains with peaked peaks have a unique original shape - they seem to be cut by a giant saw, therefore, for their bizarre appearance, they have very colorful names: Elephant's trunk, Mummy, Bishop's belly are others, no less amusing than these. All their beauty can be fully contemplated from the height of the cable car. There are hiking trails and a railway.
Shopping
As a monastery complex, Montserrat, in turn, is a popular tourist destination in Spain and Catalonia. Therefore, one of the sides of the tourism business is well organized here - trade. On the territory of the monastery there are numerous souvenir tents and shops, as well as modern shopping mini-centers. All kinds of souvenirs, local ceramics, liqueurs based on the local mountain herbs, delicious pastries of the monastery bakers, books on religious and biblical topics, audio recordings of the performances of the boys' choir, postcards and stamps with the image of Montserrat, etc. are in demand here.
When deciding to visit this amazing place, you should definitely remember that Montserrat Monastery is the cult center of Catalonia, a shrine and a place of worship for many people, and therefore requires respect for itself. Within these walls comes a rethinking of the past and the future, the main thing that those who have been here take with them is peace and tranquility, which is so lacking in everyone in ordinary life.
