Montserrat

Montserrat is a mountain with an unmistakable profile, located near Barcelona. It rises to a height of 1236 metres at the summit of Sant Jeroni, which can be reached on foot from the top station of the funicular railway. Its fame is due to the Benedictine abbey built on its slopes, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which houses the famous sanctuary of the Virgin of Montserrat and is also the place where, according to some local legends, the Holy Grail of King Arthur’s myth is to be found.

Montserrat literally means ‘sawn mountain’ in Catalan, and the name describes very well the appearance of the mountain, with its numerous rocky pinnacles visible even from a great distance. Monserrat is the first national park to be established in Spain.

Guided tours of Montserrat

The most common way to visit Montserrat is with a day trip from Barcelona, as many people combine it with a holiday in the capital of Catalonia. If you do not have your own transport available, book a guided tour online.

Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat

The Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat is the biggest tourist attraction in the area. It can be reached by carriage road, train or cable car. The monastery’s railway station is the end of a rack railway that connects it to Monistrol de Montserrat.

Monserrat plays an important role in the spiritual and cultural life of Catalonia: it is the most important sacred place in the region, the Virgin of Monserrat is the most important saint in Catalonia and the inhabitants reach the monastery on a pilgrimage by night to admire a beautiful sunrise from the top of the mountain; on a clear day it is possible to see almost the whole of Catalonia, and even the island of Majorca.

Admission ticket to the Abbey

If you reach Montserrat by public transport or rented car, you will only need an entrance ticket for the Museum and the Abbey. To plan your visit and avoid queues at the ticket offices, we recommend that you book your ticket online before you leave.

Recent History

The Spanish Civil War saw the violent repression of Montserrat Abbey: of the 278 priests and 583 men of faith killed in Catalonia by Republican forces, 22 were monks from Montserrat Abbey. The Republican authorities and the authorities of the Generalitat de Catalunya tried to stop the anticlerical violence, providing help for priests and religious to hide and leave the country.

During Francisco Franco’s regime, Santa Maria de Montserrat was a sanctuary for scholars, artists, politicians and students: from 1940 onwards, the monastery was seen as a symbol of Catalan nationalism, which culminated on 27 April 1947, when a mass was held to celebrate the Virgin of Montserrat, attended by over 100,000 people.

In December 1970, 300 Spanish artists and academics held a sit-in at the abbey of Montserrat to protest against the death sentences passed against 16 Basque ETA activists in Burgos; in response, the police closed the monastery. The protests were then taken outside the abbey, but the actions of the protesters convinced the Franco government to annul the death sentences.

Escolania de Montserrat

TheEscolania de Montserrat is the children’s choir of the Basilica of the Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat. It is composed of sopranos and altos and is accompanied, when necessary, by the choir of the Montserrat Chapel, composed of both old members of the Escolania and the monks.

The Escolania of Montserrat is one of the oldest choirs in Europe, already existing as a religious and musical institution from the 14th century. Today it is composed of more than 50 children aged 9 to 14, originally from Catalonia but also from the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community. At Escolania, the children complete their education (primary and secondary school) and pursue their passion for music. Each student must study piano and another instrument of their choice, as well as solfege technique and theory, orchestra and participation in the choir.

Where to stay in Montserrat

Although it may seem strange, there are four establishments at Montserrat Abbey where you can sleep between hotels, hostels and flats: they are the 3-star hotel-hostal Abat Cisneros, the hostel Hostatgeria de Montserrat, the hotel Abat Oliba and the aparthotel Cel.les Abat Narcet. They are all located on the west side of the complex, and as places are limited you will need to book well in advance.

Alternatively, you can sleep at one of the facilities in Monistrol de Montserrat, there are a few 2-3 star hotels and some flats, convenient to be ready to leave for Montserrat early in the morning, before the day trip crowds arrive from Barcelona.

How to get to Montserrat

Getting to Montserrat from Barcelona takes about an hour’s drive, leaving the city in a north-westerly direction along two possible routes: the C-16 road, which passes through Terrassa, or the A2 motorway, which passes through Sant Andreu de la Barca, Abrera and Collbató. The travel times are equivalent and more or less also the distance: which route you choose becomes a matter of the area from which you start in Barcelona.

From Barcelona, Montserrat can also be reached by public transport, but it is definitely more tiring as it takes more than two hours and several changes: you first have to get to Plaza de Espana, then take the R50 Manresa-Baixador train, which takes an hour to Monistrol de Montserrat, from where the cogwheel train that takes you up to the mountain departs.