There are places of special energy, which cannot be missed. Everything here is somehow different, everyone, including yourself. Montserrat is one of them.
Montserrat Monastery (cat. Monestir Santa Maria de Montserrat, Spanish Monasterio de Montserrat) is a Benedictine monastery, a spiritual symbol and religious center of Catalonia and a center of pilgrimage for Catholics from all over the world.
Located at an altitude of 725 m above sea level, it got its name from the mountainous area of Montserrat ("Cut Mountains"), 50 km from Barcelona.
Mount Montserrat itself deserves special attention. At least with its bizarre shapes. The mountain is 1236 meters high, 10 km long, and 5 km wide.
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The mountain is so unusual that it causes both delight and awe. The huge bald rocks that form the mountain rise like idols. Narrow channels resemble whimsical patterns, and gloomy caves give the whole appearance of Montserrat a special mystery.
Numerous legends are associated with the mountain. One of them says that once angels came down the mountain, but they got bored of the surrounding landscape, and they sawed the mountain in half and decorated it with various figures.
The monastery itself was founded in 1025, although the first mentions of it are found much earlier.
In 1811 the monastery was set on fire and destroyed by Napoleon's army. Only the Romanesque portal of the cathedral and the remains of the Gothic cloister have survived from the original buildings of the monastery. For some time the Benedictine monastery was in ruins and desolation. But in 1844, with the support of the Benedictine community and the Catalan population, the restoration of the monastery began, which took about a hundred years.
There is also an unusual monument to the medieval Catalan philosopher Raimund Lull. He was a missionary, mystic, alchemist, poet. The monument has an interesting name: "Ladder of Knowledge" with 8 steps, which have their own names (from bottom to top) - stone, fire, plants, animals, man, heaven, angel, God. This composition is based on Lull's treatise “Ladders for Ascent and Descent”. According to him, the human mind can move from the simplest essence to the highest.
But nobody is like God.
On the territory of the monastery you can read this inscription in many languages of the world.
The monastery houses the national shrine of Catalonia - the 12th century statue of Our Lady and the Child on her knees (according to legend, the 9th century), which attracts pilgrims from all over the world to the monastery.
She is called the Black Virgin Mary of Montserrat for the dark color of the statue. The 95-centimeter tall statue of black poplar in golden robes is also called the Black Madonna, and the Catalans affectionately call her "La Moreneta" ("Darkie"). Thanks to the care of the believers who hid it, the statue survived during the plundering of the monastery in 1811.
To bow to the patron saint of Catalonia, touch her hand and ask for the secret, you will have to stand in a very serious line. But they say that the Black Virgin Mary answers everyone, and today there is a special room in the building of the cathedral, where returning pilgrims bring symbols of fulfilled desires - wedding dresses, orthopedic accessories that are no longer needed, etc.
Elena Ivanova-Kruzhkova