The “Serrated Mountain”, its highest peak rising to 1,236 m (4,055 ft), is a magnificent setting for Catalonia’s holiest place, the Monastery of Montserrat, which is surrounded by chapels and hermits’ caves.
t The mountain towering behind the Monestir de Montserrat
Experience Catalonia
t Monestir de Montserrat, in its dramatic setting below the mountain
The monastery has a long history, and a chapel on the site was first mentioned in documents dating from the 9th century. The present-day monastery was founded in the 11th century but in 1811, when the French attacked Catalonia in the War of Independence, it was destroyed and the monks killed. Rebuilt and repopulated in 1844, it was a beacon of Catalan culture during the Franco years. Today Benedictine monks live here and the site has a hallowed atmosphere. One of the most magical experiences is listening to the Escolania boys’ choir singing in the basilica. You can catch their echoing voices at 1pm Monday to Friday, 6:45pm Monday to Thursday and noon and 6:45pm on Sundays.
Great View
Natural Wonder
Many locations in the Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat offer great views of Montserrat’s tooth-shaped rock formations. Bird-watchers will want their binoculars at the ready as birds of prey soar above.
EXPERIENCE Catalonia
The Virgin of Montserrat
The small wooden statue of La Moreneta (“the dark one”) is said to have been made by St Luke and brought here by St Peter in AD 50. Centuries later, the statue is believed to have been hidden from the Moors in the nearby Santa Cova (Holy Cave). Carbon dating suggests, however, that the statue was carved around the 12th century. In 1881 La Maroneta became patroness of Catalonia.