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This page will give you the highlights of Barcelona Montserrat in Spain. The Benedictine Monk retreat at Montserrat offers you some of the most spectacular mountain views of Catalunya. You will learn about the holy grotto where visitations by the Virgin Mary were reported, the World famous Montserrat Choir boys recitals along with details on the mountain walks with breathtaking views. I took a day trip to Montserrat recently with my brother and this page summarizes the highlights of what we experienced.

Speakers On? Click to hear the sound of the Montserrat monastery church bell as heard from the mountain over looking the Benedictine retreat.

Montserrat near Barcelona

For many visitors a trip to Barcelona Montserrat Spain is the highlight of their visit.

Montserrat is a spectacularly beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat about one hour North West from Barcelona by train.

Not only is Montserrat Monastery of significant religious importance but the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking.

If you enjoy walking there are also some interesting walks through the mountains where you will experience magnificent views of some of the most unusual rock formations in the whole of Catalonia. You can take a funicular to the top of the mountain and from there you can choose a number of different walks, all with amazing views of the Catalonian countryside.

Montserrat Spain Choir Boy Performances in the Basilica

Click to hear the Montserrat Choir Boys in the Basilica

basilica floor in Montserrat - modelled after the Vatican floor in Rome

Another highlight of your visit to Montserrat monastery is to listen to the famous Basilica choir boy performances of Gregorian chants and other genres of religious choral music. The performances can be heard free of charge in the Basilica daily with the exception of Christmas holidays, July and some other festive periods during the year.

Choir performance time (daily): 13:00

Montserrat music is popular throughout the World and the Monastery choir boys have now recorded over 100 albums of choral music.

Montserrat Spain History - The Holy Visions

Barcelona Montserrat a view from the cable car to the monastery retreat

The history of Montserrat is fascinating and started in 880 when a small group of shepherd children saw a bright light descending from the sky in the Montserrat mountains. In the same moment the children heard angels singing and the music filled their hearts with a radiant joy.

Overwhelmed by the experience the children ran home to frantically recall the experience to their parents. The parents were sceptical but knew their children were trustworthy and honest and so they went to where the children had experienced the visions to see if they could see what all the fuss was about.

For the whole month following the first visitation the parents were also witness to the same heavenly experiences and were left with only one conclusion. The visions were a sign from God.

The black faced Madonna in the basilica Montserrat monastery

A local vicar was brought to the scene and witnessed the same experiences as the children and parents. The visions occurred in the same location in a cave on Montserrat mountain. When this cave was explored by the religious elders of the community they found an image of the Virgin Mary. And from that moment on the cave became a holy sanctuary for religious pilgrims.

Today the site of the visions has been marked by a Holy Grotto on the mountain. You can walk to the Holy Grotto and see first hand where these events took place. The Holy Grotto has now been ordained a holy place and is visited by pilgrims and curious onlookers from all over the world.

Accommodation in Montserrat

Barcelona Montserrat Spain Cross

Most visitors to Montserrat stay in Barcelona and then travel by train to Montserrat. However if you would actually like to stay in Montserrat for the night you can possibly get a room at the Abat Cisneros. I don't have any more details on this accommodation apart from their website Abat Cisneros Official Website.

A trip to Barcelona Montserrat Spain is highly recommended and if you intend to take a few of the mountain walks it is a good idea to schedule at least one day for your visit.

How To Travel to Montserrat From Barcelona

How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona by train or

Book your place on an organized tour of Montserrat

This page summarized a few of the highlights of Montserrat in Spain. However there are many more attractions we have not discussed e.g. the museum, the different mountain walks along with small market stalls selling country food products etc. Many site visitors have told me that their trip to Montserrat was the highlight of their holiday, so if you have the time I highly recommend that you take a trip to