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Chic . Explore . ThinkerTen

My Style ~ My Journey ~ My Inspiration

SpainTravel

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

by kumamonjeng January 6, 2020
written by kumamonjeng January 6, 2020
Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

If you are in Barcelona, you may want to include Montserrat mountain which has a stunning landscape in Catalonia. It is also an important religious site in Spain.  Even if you are a non-catholic or Christain, you will still find this place awesome and many to offer.  One of the highlights here is searching for the “little Black Madonna statue”.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

How far is Montserrat from Barcelona?

It is about an hour’s drive for a bus or car. There are trains and buses to bring you up. People usually doing a day tour to Montserrat.  We were up early in the morning and you can see the early fog was quite serious.

One of the most popular ways of getting to Montserrat is by train from Plaza Espanya rail station. Trains leave the station every hour.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

How tall is Montserrat?

It is about 1,236 m above the valley floor also the highest point of the Catalan lowlands.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Funicular in Montserrat

There are two funiculars and one rack railway in Montserrat, a total of three mountain trains.

The Cremallera is the rack railway service that will take you from the bottom of Montserrat Mountain to arrive at the Montserrat Monastery.

When you are at Montserrat, you can still go higher by taking two more funicular journey – The Funicular de Santa Cova and the Funicular de Sant Joan.

Going further up with the funicular will enable you to experience the steep journey. You can get the tickets from the funicular station.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Dress code

Since there are churches in Montserrat, a proper dress code is necessary for entrance to Montserrat Basilica. Stay away from tank tops and shorts or sandals. I was there in the winter so I was covering myself all over and the weather was cold since it is a mountain.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Introduction of Montserrat

It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1,120 m) and Miranda de les Agulles (903 m).

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Meaning of Montserrat

The name Montserrat means “Jagged mountain” because of the sharp-looking peaks of the mountain. According to the legend, angels came down from the sky and serrated the mountain with the golden saw to create a throne for the Virgin Marry. There is a monastery in Montserrat so you hear legend like so.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Why you see Strange Rock Formation in Montserrat?

When you are up in Montserrat, you will notice the unique rock formation which is famous for its jagged peaks. It was formed over 45 million years ago, back when most of the area is still underwater.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Basilica at Montserrat

There is a Basilica at Montserrat Monastery.  The Gothic building looks super grand, with the atrium – an open rooftop courtyard area that sits directly in front of the Basilica.  There are no fees for the Basilica but donations are welcome if you need to offer candles.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Stay tune for the Bell Ringing

Please wait for the bell-ringing which starts slightly before 11 am. You will be struck by the sound of their bell tower ringing from the mountains and reflecting from the rocks and the monastery.  Very beautiful and you will love it.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Santa Marie de Montserrat Abbey

Founded in the 11th century but now the monastery building was rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries so you find it quite new and polish.

We were told the monastery is still active and home to around 80 Benedictine monks. We saw them walking around with the area.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Should I attend the Masses at Montserrat?

Daily masses are available, I remembered there was one at 11 am and we quickly went out of the Basilica as we do not intend to attend the masses as we are non-catholic.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Let’s find out this little star statue of Black Madonnas

The statue of the Black Madonnas with both the statue of Marry and Jesus having dark skin gold robes are one of the highlights here. You will see she is sitting on a thrown and holds an orb in her right hand. There might be a line with a group of people who have come as pilgrims to the statue.

According to legend, during a Muslim invasion, this statue has been hidden by devotees in a cave. Years later, a group of locals saw lights and heard songs in the middle of the cliffs, where “La Moreneta” had been hidden. The bishop wants to transport the Virgin Mary to the city of Manresa, but it was in vain since the image was extremely heavy. He assumed the fact as a request of the virgin to remain in that same place. To house the acclaimed image, the bishop ordered to build the famous Monastery of Montserrat!

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Ave Maria path

Ave Maria path is full of colorful candles lit up by visitors for the Virgin Mary with small donations fees.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Boy Choir

The church is famous for its boys’ choir, called the L’Escolania. Performing twice daily in the Basilica. If you are lucky you will have the chance to see the performance from some of the most talented young voices in Spain.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

Final thoughts:

Montserrat is a great place to get away from the crowded city of Barcelona. You find the scenery here so unique and not the kind of the mountain you have seen elsewhere.

Finding Black Madonnas in Montserrat Barcelona Spain

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BarcelonaBlack Madonnas in Montserrat SpainFunicular in MontserratIntroduction of MontserratL’Escolania Boy ChoirMontserrat BarcelonaSpain travelSuper travel
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8 comments

Cristina Petrini January 6, 2020 - 12:11 pm

Always devoted to Our Lady, there is an aura of mystery around the black Madonnas scattered around the world. I did not know this sanctuary, but I would like to be able to visit it.

Reply
Coombe Mill January 6, 2020 - 8:36 pm

I haven’t been to Barcelona in about 30 years. This makes me want to go back, there is so much there.

Reply
Myrah Duque January 7, 2020 - 3:20 am

Barcelona is such a gorgeous city filled with great architecture, food, music and so much! I can’t wait to return.

Reply
ChelseaMamma January 7, 2020 - 4:10 pm

I wanted to visit Montserrat when we last went to Barcelona but we ran out of time, it looks stunning

Reply
Ashley R January 7, 2020 - 6:09 pm

I haven’t made it to Spain yet but would love to. Will have to do all of the overseas traveling after having babies.

Reply
Yeah Lifestyle January 8, 2020 - 6:31 am

I am a Christian and love visiting churches when I travel. I would love to head to Montserrat to discover the church, arhitecture and town, not forgetting the mountain filled view

Reply
Jasmine Watts January 8, 2020 - 11:24 am

It’s my dream to go to Barcelona someday. Wish it can be done soon..

Reply
Catherine January 8, 2020 - 2:29 pm

What a stunning place to visit…the monastery is absolutely beautiful and the basilica is breathtaking. I’d love to take this tour one day.

Reply

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I am the travel writer for Thinkerten. I lived in Japan, Australia, Malaysia and now based in Singapore. Speak 4 languages, Japanese, English, Malay, and Chinese. There are the many types of travels one can experience and mine are mostly focus on self-driving/road trip to explore the places I wanted to see and learn about. Only if you get out of your country, you will see the real you and understand more about yourself, to realize of your own identity, your own culture, and your root.

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