We booked a tour to take us to Mountserrat- the "serrated mountain". This is a popular day trip for Catalns as well as a pilgrimage site for a thousand years. It has unique rock formations, a dramatic mountaintop monastery also called Monserrat. Hymns explain how the mountain was carved by little angels with golden saws.
The monastery is nestled in the jagged peaks at 2400 feet but it seems higher because of the way the rocky massif rises out of nowhere.
Monserrat's monastery is Benedictine, and its 30 plus monks carry on its spiritual tradition. Since 1025, the slogan "ora et labora" ("prayer and work") has pretty much summed up life for a monk here. All the monks are professionals, professors, musicians, scientists, and the newest one is a computer "techy".
Our guide Naomi who studied English at UC Davis was a wealth of information and just delightful to be with.
Monserrat is about an hour from Barcelona on winding roads. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open although Naomi gave us a lot of information on the city as we driving out of it. One of the things I thought was very interesting was Mr Batllo who hired Gaudi to design his house had the architect who designed Carnegie Hall and Grand Central Station in NY design his factory. Only the best for Mr.. Batllo.
We arrived at Monserrat and the bus pulled up right in front of these statues on the wall.
The Cross of St. Michael is visibile from the area where we left off. It's only a 30 minute or so hike but Naomi discouraged us from just doing that because then we would miss out on some of the other things to see and do - like taste a special cheese and also a special liquor that the monks used to make. I say used to because now the liquor is made in Barcelona and than sent back to Monserrat.
The first hermit monks built huts at Monserrat around 900 A.D. By 1025, a monastery was founded. The Monserrat Escolania, or Choir School, soon followed and is considered to be the oldest music school in Europe. They still perform.
Legend has it that in Medieval times, some shepherd children saw lights and heard songs coming from the mountain. They traced the sounds to a cave ( now called the Sacred Cave, or Santa Cova), where they found the Black Virgin statue (La Moreneta) making the monastery a pilgrim magnet.
In 1811 Napoleon's troops destroyed Monserrat's buildings, though the Black Virgin, hidden away by monks, survived. Then, in 1830, the Spanish royalty- tired of dealing with pesky religious orders- dissolved the monasteries and convents.
In the 1850's the monks returned as part of Catalunya's renewed appreciation for all things medieval and nationalistic. Then came Francisco Franco , the dictatorial leader who wanted a monolithic Spain. To him Montserrat representedCatlan rebelliousness. During his rule the sardana dance was illegally performed here (under a different) name and literature was published in the outlawed Catalan language. In 1970, 300 intellectuals demonstrating for more respect for human rights in Spain were locked in the monastery for several days by Franco's police.
The cross of St. Michael. This sculpture "The Stairs" was carved by the same sculptor who did the statues on the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Familia - Josep Maria Subirachs, who died just last year.
The view from the mountain are just spectacular. Truly a wonderful site for a religious order. You really feel God's majesty in the surroundings. There is also an order of Nuns who reside on the mountain, Ladies of St. Benedict.
The funiculars take you to the top of the mountain where numerous hiking trails are located. Again no time to do that and do other things around the site on this visit.
Loks like a zipper!
Cremaliera in Catalan is "zipper". This was the name given to the funiculars by the people of Catalunya.
Another statue by Subirach's. He was a fan of Picasso. Interestingly if you look at this statue as you walk along you actually believe the statue's eyes are following you.
You can stay at Monserrat in this hostile or
Or if you come on a retreat you can stay in the light brick building next to the hotel.
These five arches separate statues of founders of the great religious orders.
Although there has been a church on Montserrat since the 11th century, the present structure was built in the 1850's and the facade only dates back to 1968. The basiclica is ringed with interesting chapels but the focus is on the Black Virgin ( La Moreneta) sitting high above the main altar. Legend says she was carved by St. Luke ( the gospel writer) and brought to Spain by St. Peter, hidden away in the cave during the Moorish invasions and miraculously discovered by shepherd children. Carbon dating says she 800 years old. La Morenta is the Patroness saint of Catalunya. "Moreneta" is ususally translated "black" in English but the Spanish name actually means "tanned". The statue was originally lighter but over the centuries candle smoke, humidity , and the natural aging of its original varnish has turned it "black".
As you enter the Basilica these tombs of relatives of Ann of Aragon are in the entry.
Walking to see the Black Madonna I snapped this picture of the church looking through the bars. The laterns that hang from the pillers are so beautiful and givee such a wonderful light to the church. Turns out photographs were forbidden but we didn't find this out until we had snapped a few including a few of the Virgin.
Mary is behind a protective glass case, the royal orb she cradles in her hand is exposed. Pilgrims touch Mary's orb with one hand and hold their otherhand up to show that they accept Jesus. Newlyweds in particular seek Mary's blessing.
The Ave. Maria Path integrates nature and the basilica. Thusands of colorful votive candles are all busy helping the devout with their prayers.
Sandi and I decided to follow the path up to the cross of St. Michael and Sharon decided to explore another path.
If you look closely here you can see one of the huts used by hermits throughout the years. There were 14 such hermit "homes" throughout the mountain. When one hermit died or would vacate his home for other reasons another hermit would move right in. Today the huts remain empty, no one willing to lead quite so austere a life apparently. I looked at it with interest, cheap real estate, but decided although I like the simple life this might be too drastic a step. No place to plug my iPad in nor chill my wine.
This is as close as we got to the cross. We decided we should turn around and head back -- maybe taste some of the cheese and liquor.
We got to the bottom but were too late! No cheese or liquor for us. Everything was closed up. I was so scared that Sharon had gotten to taste all those things but she said she had been in the gift store and no one was giving out tastings of the liquor. The little market where the farmers let you taste the cheese with honey were closing up so I didn't get to taste the cheese but did buy some Monchiego,my favorite Spanish cheese. Goes great with wine :-)!
We got back early evening and saw the fountain all lit up. So pretty!
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