DAY 11, MAY 16, Monday:

Checked out and drove to Montserrat. Visited the beautiful Basilica, the fantastic museum, 1 PM Boys choir, 3 PM Black Madonna [without reservation, no lines]

Went up on the Sant Joan Funicular Railway... nice views

STAY: Hotel Abat Cisneros Montserrat

MONTSERRAT

Montserrat translates to "jagged mountain," which perfectly describes the serrated peaks, while in Catalan, it's called Mont Sagrat, the "sacred mountain."

This destination, about 50 kilometers northwest of Barcelona, is one of Spain's major tourist attractions. Most people visit here as a day trip. But we wanted to avoid the crowds and experience the sanctity of this place in tranquility. So we planned to drive there early.

Here's the food at 6.30 am

We came down with our bags by 7.13am

Checked out of the hotel in Lleida. I sat in the lobby waiting for son to bring the car. Time ticked on and I started panicking as he had said the parking was just 200m away. He turned up a good 20 minutes later, he had found it difficult to navigate the one way streets and find a parking nearby to load our bags. Also the overnight parking had cost a hefty 17 euros

We left at 7.50 am and drove on.

The great massif extends 5 km across and 10 km high above the Catalonian plain on the right bank of the Llobregat River. Montserrat is a dramatic sight with steep rock faces on every side and fantastically eroded crags that appear to be crenellations of a medieval fortress.

By 10 am we reached our destination. Cars are not allowed up but we showed our reservation to the Guard and he removed the cones and let us through. We left our bags at the hotel and went to the Basilica.

Monastery of Montserrat

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey and basilica located in the Montserrat mountain, which is called Monistrol de Monstserrat. The monastery, including its church and other buildings, is like a small city on its own. A highlight is the venerated La Moreneta (the Dark One), a 12th-century carving of Our Lady of Montserrat.

The monastery started as the Hermitage of Santa Maria, the Mother of Christ, in 1025. Very soon there were stories of miracles worked by St. Mary the Virgin of Montserrat, and pilgrimages started to the site. A bigger Romanesque chapel was built to be able to receive more pilgrims.

In the Napoleonic wars of 1811 and 1812, the French destroyed most of the abbey, but the statue of Our Lady was saved because it was hidden somewhere in the mountain.

The rebuilding of the abbey started slowly after the Napoleonic wars and has continued to the present.

ENTRANCE PORTICO

PORTICO TO LINE UP FOR SEEING THE BLACK MADONNA

To see Black Madonna close up, one has to go through the portico on the right side of the basilica. As can be seen it was closed. We had not reserved online and the staff told us we can line up here at 3pm without reservation

CANDLE PORTICO

Then we went to the atrium in front of the main Basilica. There is a beautifully designed atrium floor, There is a medallion in the center and there is an inscription around it with a message that only those baptized and born in the water like fish can understand the meaning of the fish of the Eucharist.

People balance themselves on one foot on this atrium floor and send out their prayers, as it is a custom from way back.

The basilica has a neo-Plateresque design and was built in 1900, The basilica’s style is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance.

At 11 am we asked the guards when we can enter for the Boys Choir performance the Basilica is famous for . They said it's at 1 pm and people without online reservation should line up in front of the Basilica at 12.30. So we went to see the museum and bought the tickets.

MUSEUM

The museum is in a building across from the basilica and it is built underground, comprising of two stories. in 1929. There are many works of art donated by rich Catalans. There are archeology pieces from the Bible lands, gold and silver work from the 15th -20th centuries, and beautiful paintings from masters such as Caravaggio, El Greco, Sisley, Dalí, and many Catalan artists from the early 20th century. This museum is among one of the best private museums in Spain