Located on the Montserrat mountain at a height of 720 m above sea level, it is a symbol for Catalonia and has become a landmark pilgrimage for believers. There There is the Virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia and popularly known as La Moreneta for her color of face and hands, as well as like those of the child she carries on her lap and which is due to the smoke of the candles, as it was discovered lately.
The sanctuary is located in a spectacular enclave of the natural park. Its history arises from the discovery of the figure of the Virgin of Montserrat around the year 880 and its existence begins from the hermitage of Santa María that Count Wifredo el Velloso donated. to the monastery of Ripoll in the year 888. Nothing remains of this temple today. It was in 1025 when it was founded. a new monastery in the hermitage of Santa María de Montserrat by order of Oliba, abbot of Ripoll, bishop of Vic. In a short time it became popular for the stories of miracles and prodigies that it performed. the Virgin. In 1409 it became in independent abbey. During the 17th and 18th centuries it became a first-rate cultural center, and important composers emerged from its music school. The war of independence (1808-1811), the confiscation of 1835, brought the destruction and abandonment of the abbey. In the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Government of Catalonia preserved Montserrat from looting and destruction and during the dictatorship, it became a bastion of Catalan culture and language. Both the facades of the abbey and the monastery are from the 20th century. Inside the monastery, the library stands out with more than 250,000 high-quality copies.
The current community of the Monastery is composed of eighty Benedictine monks who dedicate their lives to prayer, hospitality and work. Within the space of the abbey, the Escolanía building stands out. It is a children's choir, with white voices, that sings daily in the basilica and is considered the oldest musical institution in Europe.
Summer time :
Monday to Friday from 09:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; Saturdays and holidays from 09:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Winter hours: Monday to Friday from 09:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; Saturdays and holidays from 09:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.