The Montserrat mountain is one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual parks in Catalonia and is located 50 kilometers from Barcelona. It is not a surprise that cultural tourists, nature lovers, pilgrims, hikers, mountaineers and cavers love to visit Montserrat. Here is a list of the most important things to see and do during your trip to Montserrat.
What to see and do in Montserrat
If you plan to visit Montserrat from Barcelona, it is easy to do so by public transport. All trains heading to Montserrat leave from Plaza España in Barcelona.
To get to the main observation deck of the mountain, you have to choose between two interesting options that will add very colorful impressions to your trip: The first possibility is to enjoy an impressive 5-minute ride on a cable car , to catch it you must get off the Barcelona train at the Aeri de Montserrat stop. The second possibility is to go up the mountain on the Rack Railway train , so you must get off the Barcelona train at the Monistrol de Montserrat stop. The journey takes about 15 minutes.
Greet the Black Madonna In The Basilica Of Montserrat
The Black Virgin of Montserrat is a patron saint of Catalonia, and people from all over the world come here to worship and see this miraculous sculpture. According to legend, it was discovered by the shepherds of the region in the 9th century; Suddenly they noticed a bright light that indicated to them the place of the Santa Cova (Holy Cave of Montserrat), where the statue was hidden. When the shepherds wanted to transfer the Black Madonna to the nearby village of Manresa, the great weight of the sculpture caused them to consider it as a sign to leave the statue on the mountain.
The Benedictine Abbey
The Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat has always had a powerful status during all the historical periods of Catalonia and is still in force today. You can easily visit the basilica, but the other sacred spaces of the monastery are closed to the public or have special hours.
The first notion of the Abbey dates back to the 9th century; however, the solid expansion of the complex took place in 1025. There are numerous legends about the life of the Benedictine monks , among them that they had to submit to the most austere vows , such as remaining forever on the top of the mountain in isolation, silence and poverty.
The Art Museum of Montserrat
The Museum of Monserrat has a large collection of artistic masterpieces from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Here you can see works by El Greco, Caravaggio, Berruguete, as well as paintings by the French impressionists Pissarro, Degas, Monet, and 20th-century geniuses such as Dali, Picasso, and Rusiñol . The museum also houses relics of ancient Egyptian art, along with icons and jewelry from the 15th-20th centuries.
The audiovisual room dedicated to the history of Montserrat
Inside the audiovisual room, you will find a curious exhibition dedicated to the history and legends of the Montserrat mountain park , the miraculous power of the Black Madonna and the Benedictine Abbey. Here, you can get a better idea and a more detailed and structured description of the sacred role of Montserrat and the powerful status in Catalonia through the archive images and videos.
The Santa Cova and San Juan funiculars
From the main observation deck where the Benedictine Abbey is located, you can continue your adventures by taking one of the two funiculars. The Santa Cova funicular goes to the Holy Cave, where the Black Virgin was discovered. There you can visit a chapel and a picturesque Rosari Monumental , a park of religious sculptures created by the key architects of Catalan Modernism. Among them are works by Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch and Llimona .
Monastery of Santa Cecilia: a Roman church with abstract art inside
If this is not your first visit to Montserrat, the Monastery of Santa Cecilia is worth a visit. Just a 5 minute drive from the Benedictine Abbey, it is interesting from an architectural and historical point of view. It is an old Roman church dating from the 11th century , which had a massive restoration in the early 20th century by a great modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch. If you like modern art, discover the interior of the church! The interiors have recently been redesigned by a famous abstract artist, Sean Scully , and since June 2015, his imaginative works have been open to the public. Its vibrantly colored large-scale geometric paintings along with the church’s ancient stone walls create a rare and unusual atmosphere.
