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<\/a><\/p>\nHere is the Montserrat des de Manresa (Serrated Mountain) range.\u00a0 Pretty rugged, ey?<\/h2>\n
Go To Page 4<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Montserrat and The Black Madonna Day 4 started with an early breakfast buffet in the hotel complete with a sandwich I made for my lunch.\u00a0 Today we head for an optional (read “extra cost”) tour of Montserrat. Here is the … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\nMontserrat\u00a0is a mountain top monastery.\u00a0\u00a0Situated atop an unusual rock mountain, it is very popular among Catalans, and Catholic pilgrims come from far and wide to see the Black Madonna. The\u00a0 basilica is the rounded building on the left.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHere is a view down the mountain<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/h2>\nIt must have been quite a feat to build in these rugged, high mountains.\u00a0 Not only is there a winding road, but there is also\u00a0a\u00a0\u00a0funicular rail road.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Virgin of Montserrat\u00a0is a statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ venerated at the\u00a0Santa Maria de Montserrat\u00a0monastery. The Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia’s favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat. Note the circle in the center of this drawing.\u00a0 \u00a0That is where the sanctuary is located.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHere’s the entrance to the Sanctuary.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Lady of Montserrat is one of many black Madonnas of Europe (another is in Czestochowa in Poland), hence it has a familiar Catalan name,\u00a0la Moreneta<\/i>\u00a0(“The little dark-skinned one”). Believed by some to have been carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church, it is a Romanesque sculpture in wood from the late 12th century. Legend has it that the Benedictine monks could not move the statue to construct their monastery, choosing to instead build around it. The statue’s sanctuary is located at the rear of the chapel, where an altar of gold surrounds the icon, and is now a site of pilgrimages to the Lady of Montserrat<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nThis is a repeated picture from above. I’ve added it again to show the choirboys home.\u00a0 It’s the big building on the right.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nL’Escolania choir school is a boys’ choir of sopranos and altos based at the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat. When the repertory requires it, they are accompanied by the Montserrat Chapel Choir, composed of old choirboys and the monks of the Ministry Chapel Choir.<\/h2>\n
L’Escolania sings every day in the Basilica of Montserrat, often to a great affluence of pilgrims and visitors from all over the world. The midday Salve has become, over the past decades, the most visited daily act of the Sanctuary. The Escolania, Montserrat\u2019s Boys\u2019 Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nIn front of the basilica’s entrance is\u00a0the “vortex” which is said to be part of the earth\u2019s energy field, and has an entry point here in the mountain. Legend has it that if you stand in the middle of the circle barefoot and raise your arms to the sky, an extraordinary force will pass through you. The priests must be thrilled by this slightly pagan worship going on directly outside. I didn’t try it!<\/h2>\n
Note the 12 Apostles and Jesus above the main door.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBelow the entrance to he basilica is an entrance to an underground museum.\u00a0It is a large art museum, housing six different permanent collections and playing host to two temporary exhibitions. A lot of visitors to Montserrat are not aware of the treasures that lie within the museum. Take a stroll around and you will find the likes of Picasso, Dali and Caravaggio nestled in amongst less well-known artists.<\/h2>\n
I photographed a few:<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBelieve it or not, this is a Picasso “The Old Fisherman”.<\/h2>\n
<\/a>This is a Ramon Casas’ “Au Moulin de la Galette. Madelaine”\u00a0 Note the cigar.<\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nOne more:\u00a0 Salvador Dali’s “Three Figures”.<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThat’s it for Montserrat.\u00a0 We made it down the mountain and headed back to Barcelona in late afternoon.\u00a0 The rest of the day was “hang around” time and a Tapas dinner with Bob and Sandra at “Cavalos”<\/h2>\n
So ended Day 4.<\/h2>\n