Montserrat Monastery

Montserrat Monastery is the religious center of Catalonia and one of the main places of pilgrimage for Catholics.

This Benedictine monastery, founded in 1025 by Abbot Oliba Ripolsky, was named the mountainous area in which it is located. The monastery is built in Lombard style and is located at an altitude of 725 meters above the water level. Since its foundation, Montserrat has been rebuilt several times, the last reconstruction dates back to the beginning of the XX century.

Currently, monks live here, as before, and there is a hotel for guests of the monastery. It contains a statue of the Black Madonna, which, according to legend, was carved by St. Luke. In 718 it was lost, and only more than 150 years later it was found in the cave, which is now called “Santa Cova”, and a chapel was built next to it.

In the monastery you can also see the wooden sculpture of the Mother of God, located in the monastery basilica, and visit the museum, recognized as one of the best in Europe.