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| Arriving at our destination |
We drove west of Barcelona to Montserrat. These looming serrated mountains rise 4000 ft above the valleys below. Located among the peaks is the Monestir de Montserrat. It is believed that the monastery was built in the 9th century with expansions done during the 11th century. During the War of independence the French destroyed most of the buildings and killed the monks. During the mid-1800s it was rebuilt and populated by Benedictine monks. While Franco was in power this area became a strong hold out for the Catalonian culture.
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Front of Montserrat Monastery
inside the courtyard |
As we wound our way up towards the monastery we would catch glimpses of the peaks shrouded in mist. The landscape was vaguely reminiscent of Mt Lemmon in Tucson only they were much more magnificent. Along the road there were several pull outs from which you could look down at the landscape below stretching off to the distance. We had intended to park at the funicular and ride it to the top; however, we suddenly found ourselves pulling into the parking lot for the monastery itself. We parked and walked towards the Basilica. Immediately, we were surprised by the number of tourists milling around. The last few days have really spoiled us. We have often been the only tourists, and many times the only people, visiting these incredible places. While surely empty, compared to the height of the summer season, it felt crowded. We had a late start in the day and arrived with a couple of tour buses. The majority of the tourists appeared to be French.
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| La Moreneta |
We walked up the mountain once we figured out the parking system and made our way along the gift shops and vendors hawking Montserrat cheese and honey. We skipped all of these tourist traps, including the visitors center. We crossed through a small plaza and into the Basilica. By now, it was lunch time and most people were busy at the cafes across the street. The arched courtyard and entrance were very quiet. The front of the Basilica is adorned with stone carvings of Christ and the 12 apostles. Entering through the right hand door we followed a corridor passing through several small alcoves with altars. Heading down a narrow set of stairs we entered a crypt with a tomb.
Climbing back to the first floor we headed up to La Moreneta or the black virgin. The surrounding room was covered in an intricate golden metallic mosaic. Several people stood in line in front of us. When it was our turn we climbed a few steps and found ourselves eye to eye with La Moreneta. Sitting behind glass, the hand of the virgin protrudes through a small opening. In her hand is a wooden orb. Touching the wooden orb is the thing to do, I guess. The statue is said to have been created by St Luke, carried to the monastery by St Peter in AD 50, and hidden in caves when the moors attacked. This fact, that it was carved by St Peter, is disputed by carbon dating science, which indicates that the statue was from the 12 century. Still, fairly interesting and old. Today the statue is the patron saint of Catalonia. Pilgrims traveling along the road to Santiago will touch the orb, so of course we did too. We wondered if it was supposed to bring good fortune or grace. Considering how many people touch it every day, we figured, at minimum, it would bring a cold.
Walking on the predetermined path, you enter a round chapel. Above the Altar you see the backside of La Moreneta. Continuing, we enter the main portion of the Basilica. The interior, especially the altar, is richly adorned in gold enamel, and is very dark. Above the Altar, La Moreneta looks down unto the audience. After a moment to take it all in, we left the Basilica, passing rows and rows of colored votives lit as offerings. For $5 euro you could purchase a candle and light it in remembrance of the virgin. Jane and I skipped this part and headed for the views.
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| Inside the chapel looking at the back of La Moreneta |
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| The "fun"nicular |
Exiting the temple area, we turned up towards the hill, past a statue of L’abat Oliba. This guy was the founder of the Monastary. We found a trail that led up the steep hill and started making our way up. After about 15 minutes several hikers came down. We asked how long it would take to climb up. “It is a steep one hour climb up, maybe two” was the reply, as he saw we had no water or proper shoes for the hike. We spent a short time admiring the view and went back down. When we arrived back at the main square, we decided to go up the funicular. Rising steeply straight up the mountain, the funicular looked to be our best option. The $14 euro was definitely going to be worth it. The funicular is like a cross between a cable car and a gondola, plus it just has a cool sounding name. After buying a ticket, we hopped on the funicular with a couple of other people. The ride up took about 4 minutes (as opposed to an hour or two) and offered spectacular views.
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| View from the Funicular |
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| Chapel at the Hermitage |
Once we reached the top we took a left and walked up a path towards the hermits cave. The views were some of the most amazing we have seen so far. The jagged rocks sliced through the sky as the mist hung like a veil. Awesome!
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| View from the top |
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| Hermitage |
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| Hermitage interior |
Walking for about 25 minutes we arrived at the small Hermitage de San Joan. This small chapel stood proudly along a cliff. Luis stopped to talk to a tourist who was walking up the hill by herself. He offered to take her picture, with her camera, since she was doing this tour alone. Rounding the corner, we climbed up to the Hermitage San Onofre. This small structure was constructed inside a natural hollow in the cliff face. A steep drop was to the left of the path, while the right opened up into several little rooms. One of the rooms contained recesses carved into the wall. A place to hold religious artifacts? A small well, carved into the mountain, was filled with clear water. This must be where the monks retrieved fresh drinking water. Heading back down the steps we ran into some rock climbers. What an amazing, but difficult place to climb. The cliffs are extremely smooth and sheer with no visible hand holds. We headed back down the mountain stopping to admire the views every so often. On our way down, we picked up a pamphlet that showed all there is to do at Montserrat. Later on in the hotel room, reading the pamphlet we discovered that we had done all there is to do at Montserrat. Montserrat was an excellent way to spend the day.
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| Looking up as we descend |
Climbing back to the first floor we headed up to La Moreneta or the black virgin. The surrounding room was covered in an intricate golden metallic mosaic. Several people stood in line in front of us. When it was our turn we climbed a few steps and found ourselves eye to eye with La Moreneta. Sitting behind glass, the hand of the virgin protrudes through a small opening. In her hand is a wooden orb. Touching the wooden orb is the thing to do, I guess. The statue is said to have been created by St Luke, carried to the monastery by St Peter in AD 50, and hidden in caves when the moors attacked. This fact, that it was carved by St Peter, is disputed by carbon dating science, which indicates that the statue was from the 12 century. Still, fairly interesting and old. Today the statue is the patron saint of Catalonia. Pilgrims traveling along the road to Santiago will touch the orb, so of course we did too. We wondered if it was supposed to bring good fortune or grace. Considering how many people touch it every day, we figured, at minimum, it would bring a cold. 
Love the blog layout and style. Anne and I will be living vicariously through this for the next few months.
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