The mountain Montserrat and its monastery The Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria is about 45 km northwest of Barcelona.
If you want to get off the beaten track, this is a place I highly recommend.
Today, we're off to discover it!
Montserrat monastery: article summary
How to get to Monserrat Monastery
From Place Espanya station, the FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat) R5 (Barcelona Manresa) train leaves every hour from 8:26 am. The journey to Montserrat takes around 1 h 30. You can then continue your journey by cable car (Aeri de Montserrat) or cog railway (Cremallera de Montserrat). to the monastery of Montserrat.
If you prefer to get there by rental car, take the A2 freeway and then the N2 national road to the Montserrat junction. Allow approximately 70 km by car from Barcelona city center.
Take advantage of your visit to hike in Montserrat Park
From the monastery itself, it's about 300 metres to the summit of Montserrat. From here, you can follow several well-marked hiking trails through the Montserrat Natural Park.
Several hiking from the upper funicular station to the abandoned hermitages. In all cases, you'll enjoy breathtaking views of Catalonia.
Visit the monastery of Montserrat
The Montserrat monastery itself is not a particular attraction from an architectural point of view. Many tourists come just for the statue of the Black Madonna, patron saint of Catalonia. The 12th-century figure is enthroned above the high altar in the monastery's basilica.
In his honor, some 50 choirboys from the "Escolania de Montserrat" monastery boarding school sing religious hymns every day from Monday to Saturday at 1 p.m. by the monastery school boys' choir, and on Sundays and public holidays at 12 p.m.
In the Montserrat Monastery Museum, you can see works by important artists such as Dalí, El Greco, Monet and Giordano. You'll also find archaeological and liturgical exhibitions.
In the lower part of the monastery area, there's a restaurant where you can eat and drink.
The story of Montserrat
The mountain of Montserrat has had religious significance since pre-Christian times. Before Christ, a temple was built here by the Romans to worship Venus.
It is said that hermit monks built various hermitages on Montserrat. The monastery was then founded by enlarging the hermitage of Santa Maria in 1025.
Miracles, attributed to the Black Madonna found in the XIIᵉ century, make this place a pilgrimage destination. The monastery owes its strong growth to these attributed miracles.
The monastery's basilica was built in the 16th century, during the period of transition from the monastery to the monastery. between Gothic and Renaissance. The Black Madonna is preserved in the basilica.
Many famous people have made pilgrimages to Montserrat: Pope Benedict XIII, Columbus, Cervantes, von Humboldt, Kings Fernando and Isabella, Carlos I, Felipe II and Louis XIV.
On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus named an island in the West Indies Montserrat.
In 1811, the monastery was largely destroyed by Napoleonic troops.
What are the opening hours?
The site opens :
- Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Weekends and public holidays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The basilica opens :
- 7.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
How much does admission cost?
To enjoy all aspects of the monastery, you must count :
- 7 € per person
To take the funicular from the Monastery to the top of the mountain, you will also have to pay 7 per person.
The Monserrat monastery is a very pleasant place to visit. Here you can see the Black Madonna and relax in a peaceful setting, away from the crowds of Barcelona's streets.
Leave a Reply