Meandering up Montserrat – Monks, Mountains and Monasteries (ERT Series)

I make no apologies for this tongue-twisting title! It was too good to resist. With our Barcelona adventure at an end, it was once again time to buckle up in our horseless carriage and get back on the road.

As ever, I was joined by my travel companion Lydia, who will no doubt be writing her own angle on the Epic Road Trip at a later date, but for now, we were set to enjoy the snake-like road that leads back into the mountains. When I say enjoy, I actually mean endure, as it is a real possibility you’ll get car sick from swinging through all those switch-backs.

Lydia taking a picture in Monserrat

Thankfully, there were plenty of places to stop, take a breather and enjoy the incredible views as we slowly made our way up into Montserrat. But what exactly is that – and how do you get there?

The Saw Mountain

Montserrat literally translates as saw mountain – more specifically, ‘serrated’ mountain – and when you see the range from a distance you can understand why. Montserrat is a particularly rocky mountain range that gives the impression of the edge of a saw.

Monserrat peak

It is in fact, Spain’s first national park, and as well as the famous Santa Maria monastery (of which more anon) there’s some amazing hiking, biking and rock climbing activities in the area. It’s a very popular day trip from Barcelona being only an hour away – but don’t bother with those over-priced tours – you can do it on your own steam and save yourself a small fortune in the process.

Scenery in Monserrat

Another tip – when researching a visit, don’t confuse the mountain range with the Caribbean island of the same name – which was given the same title by Christopher Columbus in honour of the monastery here.

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How Do You Get There?

The mountain is easily accessed by road with a well-maintained route from Barcelona – but as mentioned before – be prepared for that dizzying mountain drive and ensure you take regular breaks. You can also rent a car to do it the same way.

Taking a bus is an option from the Estacio Sants station, but a more popular and regular service is to board a train. It’s as easy as taking Flights to Barcelona and then heading to the Espanya railway station and jumping on the R5 line towards Montserrat.

Monserrat landscape

Once there you can take a cable car or funicular up into the range, or you can hike it if you’ve got a lot of time and you’re feeling particularly energetic/foolish!

Beautiful scenery in Spain

Hiking up to the monastery is free, but be advised that it is really high and should only be attempted by those who know what they’re doing.

Alternatively, you can join a day trip from Barcelona.

Santa Maria de Montserrat

After you’ve journeyed 45 kilometres north-west from Barcelona and a nose-bleeding 1,236 metres (4,055 ft) up, you’ll have eventually reached one of the most important and holy sites in all of Christendom. So much so in fact, that Arthurian legend has it that the monastery is the location of the much-coveted holy grail.

Santa Maria de Montserrat

Folk-lore aside, what it’s definitely the location of is the revered “Black Madonna,” a 12th-century carving depicting the Virgin Mary with dark skin, who is the patron saint of Catalonia. Believers from far and wide make a regular pilgrimage to the Santa Maria de Montserrat to visit this holy shrine, and it’s expected that Catalonians should hike to the top at least once in their lifetime.

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Into the Air

The views from the top are simply breath-taking, with an uninterrupted vista out over Catalonia. Be aware though, for those of you who – like myself – suffer from a fear of heights, prepare yourself for a visit here!

Exploring the Monastery

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine monastery that has existed on this site since 880 AD. However, the mountain was used in Roman times as a temple to Venus – the goddess of love. As always with religious locations, they change hands down the centuries, and the monastery itself is thought to have been founded by monks in 1025.

Monserrat

It was rebuilt in 1811 because that pesky Napoleon thought he would destroy it, but today it is still functioning as a religious order – the home to some 80 monks who follow the rules of St Benedict. It’s absolutely stunning inside and our pictures won’t be able to do it justice, with the interior of the basilica being particularly impressive.

Life up High

As well as the monastery, you can also find an interactive exhibition and museum, which is home to a considerable collection of priceless art and artefacts donated by private benefactors. If you’ve not had enough of him in Barcelona, expect to see works by Picasso, as well as Dali and El Greco. There’s also an extensive, literature-rich library and printing house that has been publishing since around the 15th-century.

Stunning scenery in Monserrat, Spain

As well as being a home for monks, the monastery also houses the famous Escolania de Montserrat – the highly regarded boy’s choir. They train and study at the religion and music school here, and give regular performances during prayers and religious festivals – when they’re not busy in recording studios or international choral competitions that is!

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Down to the Ground

Personally, it was with some relief that we eventually came down from such great heights, not least to get away from that relentless wind! But what an experience this was, from start to finish a rich marriage between culture and nature, tradition, history and geology.

View from above Monserrat

Whether you’re a person of faith or not, there was still plenty to experience here to keep you interested and entertained and we’d heartily recommend making the day-trip from Barcelona. But for now, we must depart on the Epic Road Trip once again, and discover what mischief we’ll be getting up to next. So, don’t touch that dial!

Have you visited Montserrat or would you like to? Let us know your thoughts!

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Cez Krol
Cez Krol
I’m always positive and never bored – there’s just so much more to see and experience! I began my journey around the world in 2011 with just $400 and one-way ticket to Asia. Still going and blogging today. You can typically spot me working on a laptop or rock climbing.
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7 thoughts on “Meandering up Montserrat – Monks, Mountains and Monasteries (ERT Series)”

  1. Avatar of Lorelle

    Oh, we missed seeing Santa Maria de Montserrat, when we visited Barcelona a few years back. As we were only there for three days, time did not allow, but is still on the list for the next time we return to Spain.

  2. Avatar of Gilda Baxter

    Wow..amazing place, I would love to do some hiking in this area. The Monastery looks impressive and certainly worth the trip up there. When I read your title I immediately thought it was about the Caribean Island, glad you cleared that up :)

  3. Avatar of Georg Scharf

    I enjoyed your summary. Was a week ago there. Due to time restraints could not see everything. Walking back to the buses, I passed stone “fresco”, I think, at the school’s entrance. On it was, I presume, a rainbow and in the distance a tower. Nearby (created by a three dimentional effect of the stone carving), were two intertwined snakes. This is then often used in symbolism of the caduceus of medical emblems. What be the symbol here ? Moses’s staff that turned into a”good”snake killing the sorcerer’s snake in front of pharaoh. Good versus evil, but beware the good can have evil and the evil good? Can you comment please.

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