When you think about Catalonia, a huge number of associations come to mind: architectural masterpieces of Antonio Gaudi, snow-white beaches, and sky-blue bays of numerous nearby coastlines.
Catalonia, and indeed the whole of Spain, rightfully has something to be proud of.
Montserrat mountain range
Montserrat mountain range is an extraordinary and magical area, where everything – from a pebble on the road to a leaf on a tree – speaks of the peculiarity of this place.
The rocks look especially beautiful at dawn or before sunset: bathed in the rays of the sun, they seem to be covered with the thinnest veil of delicate pinkish-purple tones – a color that would do honor to the interior of any living room.
The Montserrat massif, of course, could easily be used for filming some fantastic movie.
The highest peak, Sant Jeroni, has a height of 1236 meters and tourists should climb it on foot from the last stop of the funicular.
It’s worth it because from the height of these mountains you can clearly see a significant part of Catalonia and (on a clear day) see in the distance even the outlines of the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea.
Montserrat is a place where you can come not only to explore the bizarre mountains, climb them on foot or do rock climbing but most importantly, visit the Benedictine monastery of the same name – Montserrat.
Montserrat Monastery
Montserrat Monastery is the main shrine of Catalonia, the statue of the Holy Immaculate Virgin Mary of Montserrat. The monastery is one of the main attractions of Spain, located approximately 45 km northwest of Barcelona.
This famous rock monastery is worth a visit with an amazing and enjoyable full-day tour of Montserrat from Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region and the most beloved tourist city in Spain
The buildings of the monastery are quite freely spread out at an altitude of about 900 meters within the mountain range of the same name, which in itself is worthy of mention due to the presence of unusually beautiful rocks and the general relief.
The first historic mention of the monastery in this mountain area dates back to the end of the 9th century, and the oldest existing monastery buildings were founded in 1025.
The Benedictine monks who founded their citadel here highly valued it for its geographical location.
It is curious that in all ages monasteries were built on the most inaccessible local hills, apparently believing them to be the main strongholds of resistance to the invaders.
But even then it was customary to make pilgrimages here, which naturally benefited the brethren and contributed to the expansion of the monastery. To this day, Montserrat Cathedral, built in the Gothic style in the 16th century, is exceptionally famous.
Every day here you can hear the Escolania de Montserrat boys’ choir singing in praise of the Virgin Mary. And also see a small but extremely famous wooden statue of the Virgin herself
According to a common European medieval tradition, made of ebony, and therefore bearing the name “Black Madonna”. The Catalans affectionately call her “La Moreneta” (“Darkie”) and consider her the heavenly patroness of their region.
In the monastery, tourists can also visit the art museum, where, in addition to an extensive collection of icons, they can also find quite secular paintings: including paintings by El Greco and Caravaggio, Monet, Picasso, and even Dali.