“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:5
Montserrat is located in the mountains north of Barcelona. The Mountain of Montserrat (“serrated mountain”) stands a bit more than 1200 m (5000 ft). The jagged fingers of it and the surrounding mountains give it the name.
When the Count of Barcelona reconquered this area from the Moors, he gave this area to the church for an abbey. It became a Romanesque monastery in 11th century. When an image of the Virgin Mary was found in a mountain cave, it was deemed “she” wanted to stay here and bestow blessings on the region, so the icon was placed in the basilica. This icon is a 12th century carved wooden image. The wood was then covered with varnish, but the clothing parts were also covered with paint. The skin only had varnish. Candles were lit in front of the icon for hundreds of years, and ultimately there was a chemical reaction between the unpainted varnish areas and the candle smoke making the body black. Therefore because of the coloring of the icon, she is known as the “Black Madonna.”
Black Madonna
Due to influx of pilgrims who came to see the icon, it was necessary to remodel the monastery during the 14th and 15th centuries. Rebuilt in the style of Gothic monastery, it was later destroyed by Napoleon’s troops. It was eventually rebuilt in late 19th-early 20th centuries. There are about 70 Benedictine monks living there today.
Montserrat Basilica
St. Michael’s Cross is located on a rock outcrop a short distance from the basilica. (Michael is the patron saint of the mountain.) There is a small chapel that was built to protect the “holy cave” where the icon of Mary was found. John hiked all the way to the Cross.
Here are some of the sights along hiking trail.
Top-left: Chapel guarding the “holy cave”
Center-left: statue of St. Francis of Assisi
Bottom-left: valley panorama
Right: outcrop with St. Michael’s Cross
Next stop: Milan, Italy