Monserrat

Montserrat is a mountain range just outside of Barcelona.  Montserrat, Catalan for “jagged mountain”, and is a perfect match to its name.   As my family and I drove up the steep and narrow roads back and forth across the mountain, the views grew more and more stunning.  Our guide informed us a lot about the mountain and its history.  I was extremely intrigued to learn that hundreds of thousands of years ago, the entire mountain was submerged in water.  Historians discovered this when fossils of fish and other ocean-dwelling creatures kept being discovered all over the mountain.  The reason for the jagged edges and curvy surface of the rocks is also explained by this past life under water; the ocean waves and tide are what gave the rocks their form.  The classic red rocks of Montserrat are even bigger and better in person than any of the pictures I had seen before.  The quaint little town nestled into the mountain was quite charming.  As we pulled into the town, the one narrow street was lined with local farmers selling mostly cheese and fruit products.  There is a special kind of cheese that was sold here that is a type of dessert cheese famous in this region of Spain.  Walking past these markets and the single train station in Monserrat leads you to a big plaza that overlooks the countryside and is topped off with Santa Maria de Montserrat, a beautiful sanctuary that is infamous in this tiny town.  It is one of the highest points in Catalonia and the views were truly spectacular.  There is a Montserrat Young Boys Choir that we were able to hear sing their two Catalan songs.  One of the songs symbolizes the pride of Catalonia and when it was sung, many elderly people stood up in order to commemorate Catalonia and its oppression by Franco for the past few decades.  I thought this was extremely interesting because although I have learned about these events and political oppression in my classes, it seems so much more recent and relevant when I see how it affects the people who live here.  After the boys choir finished their performance, people began to rush to the side of the cathedral.  A line of hundreds of people formed in order to walk up to the famous Virgin of Montserrat, who sits in her throne looking out over the whole sanctuary.  The Virgin is of black complexion, and we learned that there was much controversy over this.  There were many stories circulating about why she was black in skin tone, but a few years ago, a religious figure decided to put an end to the rumors.  An official announcement was made stating that the Virgin was this color because when she was originally crafted, there was little understanding about chemical reactions and paint, and over time, when the statue mixed with air, black patches began to form on her surface.  Therefore, someone decided to cover her fully in black in order to unify her skin.  While this may or may not be the exact truth, this is the story that most people go by today.  I really enjoyed visiting this abbey not only because of its aesthetic value, but also because of all the historical value that it held.  After this site, we also visited the Museum of Montserrat.  While it was small and contained mostly local paintings, I thoroughly enjoyed this, as well.  Montserrat was a tiny little town with a lot to offer.  I was pleasantly surprised by everything I learned here because it is truly a place where you need to look more than surface deep to appreciate it fully.