Montserrat & the Black Modonna

Great morning and perfect weather, a beautiful monastery and basilica. Photos don't do it justice, either the views or basilica.

Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain range near Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, known for its striking pink conglomerate rock formations and serrated appearance, which inspired its name meaning "serrated mountain" in Catalan

In 1025, Abbot Oliba of Ripoll founded a Benedictine monastery near the site where, according to legend, shepherds discovered the statue of the Virgin Mary in a cave (Santa Cova) in the 9th century

Montserrat quickly became a major pilgrimage site, renowned for miracles attributed to the Virgin, known as "La Moreneta" due to her dark skin.
The monastery became an independent abbey in 1409.
The basilica's initial construction began in the 16th century. During the Peninsular War, French troops destroyed the monastery and basilica in 1811

In 1881, Pope Leo XIII granted the church the status of minor basilica and proclaimed the Virgin of Montserrat the Patron Saint of Catalonia

The Basilica of Montserrat remains a vital religious, cultural, and pilgrimage site, home to a community of 49 Benedictine monks and the revered statue of the Virgin of Montserrat (the Black Modonna)Read more