We got up early this morning, took the subway from up the street and found our way to the train station. From there we took the one hour ride to the Mountain Monastery called Monserrat .
I have to give Fred all the Credit for researching how to travel cn public transportation and we have been very lucky to find our way from one famous location to another.
I was surprised to find a really good Art Museum located under one of the newer buildings on Monserrat. It had many of the famous Spanish Artists ( Picasso, Dahli and other lesser known Spanish painters, but also some Monet, Renoir, Dega). Along with the paintings were some fabulous Catholic Church items, communion ware, rings, and appointments for the priests.
The train ride up this Mt was pretty awesome. The Catalonian leaders were an independent lot and would hide from Napoleon at this monastery so they could continue to rule the country against France. Napoleon tired of their ability to bypass his rule and made his troops climb up the MT to capture this stronghold. They then Burned the whole place down... war, it is hard on antiquities.
The Benedictine Monk retreat at Montserrat offers you some of the most spectacular mountain views of Catalunya and is located outside the city of Barcelona.
Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is ideally located to play an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia. It is Catalonia's most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia make overnight hikes at least once in their lives to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. The Escolania, Montserrat’s Boys’ Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica
Comments
Post a Comment