I borrowed this image from the website in order to show you the ENTIRE abbey as I have no single photo of all of it.

I know I’ve mentioned previously that in the 1980s, my family lived in Europe.  At that time, my family included my mom, my dad and myself.  In those days, whenever we traveled, my mother was the tour guide, trip planner, navigator and suitcase-packer.  Dad drove, paid for everything and was often the tie breaking vote for key decisions, such as: where to eat lunch or dinner, what kind of music was playing on the radio, etc.  I was a teenager so I got to be moody and difficult or chatty and sing-song or whatever random mood I was experiencing at that particular moment.  We all embraced our roles and enjoyed great adventures.  In fact, we visited Spain more than once in the 1980s and we enjoyed each experience.  It was during the research gathering process for one of those trips that my mother first discovered Montserrat.  Interestingly, somehow, we never managed to make it there, until now.  

Actually, we almost didn’t make it to Montserrat this time either.  We decided to save our trip to the monastery in the mountains until my friends from Tucson could join us.  They were scheduled to arrive in late March 2020 during spring break at the University of Arizona.  All of us were SO excited for their visit and we had great plans for all the things we would see and do – including a trip to Montserrat.  Then, before we could blink, the pandemic exploded into being: all flights were cancelled and Spain locked down for over three months.  Following the lockdown, we were so excited to be able to finally leave the house again that we wanted to go the greatest distance we could.  So we drove up the Costa Brava, remember?  Our next trip in 2020 was even further away, taking us into France, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco.  In fact, we didn’t even think about Montserrat again until early 2021 while we were relaxing on the “Chill Out” (Sol i Vi) and taking the time to think about our future now that things were getting back to a more stable routine.  

Ok.  So what is Montserrat?  Well, I called it a monastery and that’s not technically correct.  To be accurate, it’s an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict and it is located on Montserrat mountain.  The official name is Santa Maria de Montserrat but the locals call it simply “Montserrat”.  Also, to further clarify the previously stated description, Montserrat is at the TOP of a very tall mountain – the tallest, in fact, in the area.  It’s so high up that the locals say, on a clear day, you can see all of Catalonia and sometimes the Balearic island of Mallorca!  You can reach the abbey by road, train (rack rail) or funicular (cable car).  Given mom is not a fan of alternative transportation at altitude (particularly with steep slopes or suspended cable), we opted for the road.  In fact, we splurged and hired a private driver for the round trip.  Oooh La La!

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Honestly, I can’t tell you the difference between a monastery and an abbey – although I’m certain there is at least one.  Montserrat includes a basilica, a cloister and a refectory, plus a number of chapels, monuments and statues all around the place.  There are monks who live at Montserrat.  In fact, currently there are around 70 monks onsite tending the gardens and orchards, making jelly, wine and cheese, holding mass, writing and publishing literature, organizing and administering the choir, and doing the thousands of other things monks do in such places.  Montserrat is one of Catalonia’s most important and beloved religious institutions and when we told both our neighbor and our concierge, Antonio, where we were headed that fine, sunny day, they approved whole-heartedly and with considerable delight.  They also suggested we eat some of the food unique to Montserrat.  As if someone needed to tell us to eat – ha!

The Virgin of Montserrat is Catalonia’s favorite saint.  Her statue, La Moreneta, is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat.  In order to see the Black Virgin, we had to purchase tickets in advance.  Because of the still-in-process pandemic and various safety controls, we were required to commit to a specific time for our tour, which was actually quite helpful in herding us along after we arrived.  We were prepared to walk around the abbey grounds, visit what we were allowed to see of the chapel, and perhaps stroll the grounds among the gardens.  Maybe stay a couple hours?  In all honesty, we had not done any real research about Montserrat prior to our visit.  That, as it turns out, was not the best laid plan.  

The Black Virgin and Son

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Remember how I said the monks wrote and published literature?  Well, the Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat (abbey publishing house) has one of the oldest, still working printing presses in the world.  According to the information we received, the abbey press published its first book in 1499!  In addition, the Montserrat Boys’ Choir (Escolania) is one of the oldest in Europe, established 1307.  We were able to see the school but not to hear the choir sing, unfortunately.  The place is loaded with ancient and historically relevant artifacts.  It makes sense, because the literature provided during our visit indicated the monastery dates back to 880 when the Virgin of Montserrat was first discovered.  The newest thing about this place is the pipe organ, installed in 2010 as a replacement of the original.  Not everything lasts forever, I suppose.

Inside the church

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While we were not able to attend a choir concert during our stay, we were surprised and awestruck by the ringing of the bells.  The bell tower, the tower of Santa Caterina, is octagonal and contains 12 bells in total.  Ten of the bells are for liturgical use and two are for hourly use.  We were wandering along one of the many hiking trails among the lovely and well-used religious monuments and shrines in a forest full of massive trees, bushes, vines and flowers modestly tended when suddenly the most lovely music burst forth from the abbey.  The sounds of the bells echoed off the surrounding rocks and rose into the heavens above us.  We were swept away by the majesty of it all.  The sun shining down upon the abbey in all its glory and the music emanating forth in great waves of sound – if ever there was a moment for reverence and reflection, this was it.  

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Before we left Montserrat, we explored the food options (naturally!) and purchased a handful of the tiny pears that are grown in the orchard there.  We also tried some of their infamous cheese, which neither Allita nor I fully appreciated, sadly.  Finally, we took the opportunity to meander through the gardens and gaze out across Cap de Bou and Reserva Natural Parcial de la Muntanya Montserrat.  It was a glorious experience all around and a retreat well made.