Above is the Basilica, and below is an internet aerial of the Abbey complex.
We took a tour by bus from Barcelona. Part of the tour is a cog train ride up the mountain to the Abbey complex which includes “the Basilica (home to the Black Madonna), the 11th-century Santa Maria monastery, the Escolania boys’ choir school, and the Art Museum of Montserrat. Other key structures include apartments, a hotel, a library, and other visitor facilities such as restaurants, a tourist office, and two cable cars.”
Montserrat means jagged or serrated mountain, derived from the Latin mons serratus.
Facing the Basilica.
A close-up of the Basilica entry.
The Black Madonna. You can see her prime position in the Basilica above the altar in the first picture.
We all were taken by these historic lamps.
The plaza where you disembark the train.
Notice that red square in the upper right. You can’t see it but there’s a cross out there. Lill and Marita did the hike while I did not do the hike but went to the easily accessed Montserrat Art Museum instead.
At the museum there was a wrap-around greeting mural that featured, as well as many others, the two pictures I picked out as two of the three I was most glad to see.
She’s by Ramon Casas (1866-1932) Madeleine 1892 and he’s by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) Penitent Saint Jerome 1605.
And this is by Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973) The old fisherman 1895. He was fourteen when he painted this picture. Fourteen. He was 56 when he painted Guernica.
“The Black Madonna (La Moreneta) is housed in the Chapel of the Virgin (or Cambril de la Mare de Déu), located behind the main altar. This elevated, ornately decorated room is accessed from within the basilica, allowing pilgrims to visit her throne. The original 12th-century statue rests in a specialized silver altar.”
St George, the patron saint of Catalonia.
And here she is. You can touch her hand and the orb she holds. There’s an attendant at hand to keep the line moving.
I don’t remember why or where this was…
…or this either.
Leaving the Chapel of the Virgin you come to this place and of course we lit a candle and made a wish.
A view from the top, look at all those bridges.
We haven’t seen so much evidence of Spring but this guy was yelling for a picture.
