Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery lies about 48 kilometers (30 miles) outside of Barcelona, Spain, and is accessible by train or by road. Trains from Barcelona to Montserrat leave from both the Plaça de Espanya and the Plaça de Catalunya stations. The train ride from Barcelona takes approximately one and a half hours, making it a good half-day or more side trip. From the base of the mountain, access is afforded by rack railway, aerial cable car, or road.
In this Benedictine monastery complex that seems to hang off the side of a craggy outcropping rising from the surrounding plain is the Basilica and sanctuary of Catalonia’s patron saint, the Black Virgin. The monastery lies 1,236 meters (4,055 ft) above the base and valley floor. The views are breathtaking and the backdrops of the mountain formations spectacular.
Other structures and hermitages have been built over the centuries on other parts of the mountain outcropping. The Santa Cova cog railway (funicular) carries visitors down to a sacred cove in which the Black Virgin statue was originally found. A second and very steep cog railway takes visitors from the main Montserrat complex level up to Sant Joan far above. Hiking trails that require good footwear and significant stamina to traverse lead in several directions.
Montserrat encompasses, amongst its many buildings, a museum, a hotel, and several restaurants. A number of small shops sell souvenirs and gifts, and vendors set up a series of outdoor tables stalls that offer local products such as varieties of honey, homemade cheeses, pan de higo (fig “bread” made of ground figs, nuts, spices, and honey), and crafts.
Montserrat from the aerial cable car base in the valley
Sanctuary of the Black Virgin
Aerial car station on Montserrat mountain
The crags above Montserrat
Montserrat view
Aerial cable car rising to Montserrat
Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery