Montserrat
Catalonia's most renowned monastery was established in 1025 to commemorate local shepherds' visions of the Virgin Mary, accompanied by celestial light and…
Getty Images/age fotostock RM
Montserrat
Montserrat, 50km northwest of Barcelona, is at the heart of Catalan identity for its mountain, monastery and natural park weaving among distinctive rock formations. Montserrat mountain is instantly recognisable, sculpted over millennia by wind and frost. Its turrets of rock, a coarse conglomerate of limestone and eroded fragments, extend like gnarled fingers from its 1236m-high bulk. More than halfway up the mountain lies the Benedictine Monestir de Montserrat, home to La Moreneta ('Little Brown One', or 'Black Virgin'), one of Spain’s most revered icons. Extending from this sacred spot is the Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat, superlative hiking terrain where brooks tumble into ravines and lookout points deliver panoramas of rocky pillars.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Montserrat
Signs to the right of the entrance to Montserrat's main basilica lead into the intimate Cambril de la Mare de Déu, where you can pay homage to the famous…
Montserrat
With marbled floors and art nouveau–style frescoes visible between graceful archways, the open courtyard fronting Montserrat's basilica immediately sets…
Montserrat
This museum has excellent displays, ranging from an archaeological section with an Egyptian mummy to Gothic altarpieces to fine canvases by Caravaggio, El…
Montserrat
This insightful walk-through multimedia space illustrates the daily life and activities of the monks, the geology of Montserrat, and the history and…
Montserrat
To see the 17th-century chapel built on the spot where holy visions of the Virgin Mary appeared to astonished shepherds, take the Funicular de la Santa…
Plan with a local
in partnership with getyourguide