161 / 344
155
City, and its fortunes declined only in the nineteenth century. In 1811 Napole-
on’s troops devastated the buildings, stole many of the treasures and “hunted the
hermits like chamois along the cliffs”. In 1835 the monastery was suppressed
for supporting the wrong side in the civil war known as the First Carlist War.
Monks were allowed to return nine years later, but by 1882 their numbers had
fallen to nineteen. However, over the twentieth century Montserrat’s popularity
again became established. In addition to the tourists, tens of thousands of newly
married couples come here to seek La Moreneta’s blessing, while Montserrat
has also become something of an important nationalist symbol for Catalans.
The monastery
The monastery itself is of no particular architectural interest, save perhaps in its
monstrous bulk. Its various buildings – including hotel, post office, souvenir
shop and even supermarket – fan out around an open square, and there are
extraordinary mountain views from the terrace as well as from various other
vantage points scattered around the complex.
Of the religious buildings, only the
Basilica
(daily 7.30am–8pm; free), dating
largely from 1560 to 1592, is open to the public.
La Moreneta
(access
8–10.30am & noon–6.30pm), blackened by the smoke of countless candles,
stands above the high altar – reached from behind, by way of an entrance to the
right of the basilica’s main entrance.The approach to this beautiful icon reveals
the enormous wealth of the monastery, as you queue along a corridor leading
through the back of the basilica’s rich side-chapels. Signs at head height
command “SILENCE” in various languages, but nothing quietens the line to
climb the stairs behind the altar and kiss the image’s hands and feet. The best
time to visit the basilica is when Montserrat’s world-famous
boys’ choir
sings
(Mon–Fri at 1pm & 6.45pm, Sun at noon & 6.45pm,
not
Sat and
not
during
school holidays at Christmas/New Year and from late June to mid-Aug). The
boys belong to Montserrat’s Escolania, a choral school established in the
fourteenth century and unchanged in musical style since its foundation.
Near the entrance to the basilica, the
Museu de Montserrat
(Mon–Fri
10am–5.45pm, Sat & Sun 9am–7pm; €6.50) presents a few archeological finds
brought back by travelling monks together with painting and sculpture dating
from as early as the thirteenth century, including works by Caravaggio, El Greco,
Tiepolo, Picasso, Dalí, Monet and Degas. Religious items are in short supply, as
most of the monastery’s valuables were carried off by Napoleon’s troops.There’s
also the
Espai Audiovisual
(Mon–Fri 10am–5.45pm, Sat & Sun 9am–7pm;
€2), near the information office, which tells you something of the life of a
Benedictine community.
Walks on the mountain
After you’ve poked around the monastery grounds, it’s the walks around the
woods and mountainside of Montserrat that are the real attraction. Following
the tracks to various caves and the thirteen different hermitages, you can
contemplate what Goethe wrote in 1816:“Nowhere but in his own Montserrat
will a man find happiness and peace.”The going is pretty good on all the tracks
– most have been graded and some concreted – and the signposting is clear, but
take a bottle of water and keep away from the edges.A map with walking notes
is available from the Montserrat tourist office.
Two separate funiculars run from points close to the cable-car station, with
departures every twenty minutes (daily 10am–6pm; weekends only Oct to
OUT OF THE CITY
|
Montserrat