Monastir de Montserrat - Montserrat, Cataluña, Spain
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 41° 35.585 E 001° 50.215
31T E 403064 N 4605251
Montserrat is a mountain, a sanctuary and a monastery. A spiritual community.
Waymark Code: WM67CB
Location: Cataluña, Spain
Date Posted: 04/17/2009
Views: 42
Monastir de Monserrat also know as Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey located in the Montserrat mountain, in Monistrol de Montserrat, in Catalonia.
It hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, and the Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house, the oldest press in the world, still running, with the first book published in 1499.
The monastery 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 known as La Moreneta), is Catalonia's favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is 48 kilometers (approx 30 miles) west of Barcelona, and can be reached by road, train/cable car.
At 1236 meters (4055 ft) above the valley floor, Montserrat is the highest point of the Catalan lowlands, and stands central to the most populated part of Catalonia. The stone monolith is ideally located to play an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia.
The Basilica houses a museum with works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors including works by El Greco, Dalí, Picasso and more. Montserrat's highest point, Sant Jeroni, can be reached by a footpath from the topstation of the funicular Sant Jeroni. From Sant Joan, almost all of Catalonia can be seen and on a clear day the island of Mayorca is visible.
Most important dates:
According to legend, the image of Our Lady of Montserrat was found in a cave in the year 880.
The first documentary mention of Montserrat, dating back to the year 888, refers to four chapels on the mountain: the chapels of Santa Maria, Sant Iscle, Sant Pere and Sant Martí.
1025 Oliba, abbot of Ripoll and bishop of Vic, founds the Monastery of Montserrat.
12th-15th centuries The Romanesque church is built and the image of Our Lady, the same one worshipped in the basilica even today, is carved.
1221 King Alphonse X, the Wise, includes some of the miracles of Our Lady of Montserrat in his Canticles. The monastery begins to be visited by pilgrims.
1223 The Institution of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Montserrat is founded.
14th century Montserrat’s fame begins to spread all over Europe.
First mention of the Choir whose voice serves Our Lady.
1409 The monastery becomes an independent abbacy.
1476 Construction of the Gothic cloister begins, financed firstly by Commendatory Abbot Giuliano della Rovere and subsequently by Pope Julius II.
1493 The Monastery of Montserrat forms part of the Congregation of Valladolid.
1493 Bernat Boïl, a monk from Montserrat, accompanies Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to America, and is appointed first vicar apostolic to the West Indies. The cult of Our Lady of Montserrat begins to extend in South America.
1522 Ignatius of Loyola makes a pilgrimage to Montserrat.
1592 The present church is consecrated.
1641 As a consequence of the so-called War of the Reapers, the Castilian monks are expelled from Montserrat. They found a second monastery devoted to Our Lady of Montserrat in Madrid.
17th-18th centuries The Monastery of Montserrat becomes a cultural centre of the first order. Montserrat Music School produces important composers.
1811-1812 Destruction of Montserrat by Napoleon’s soldiers.
1835 Disentailment laws. The Monastery of Montserrat loses all its properties and is left in the care of a single monk.
1844 The monks return to Montserrat.
1858 The reconstruction of Montserrat begins, under the guidance of Abbot Muntadas.
1880 Montserrat celebrates its 1000th anniversary. A literary competition is won by Jacint Verdaguer’s poem Virolai, which is later put to music by Josep Rodoreda.
1881 Festivities for the Coronation of the Image of Our Lady, in which She is proclaimed Patron Saint of Catalonia by Pope Leo XIII.
1901 The new façade of the Basilica is inaugurated.
1936 - 1939 Spanish Civil War. The monks leave the monastery. Twenty-three monks die during the war. The Autonomous Government of Catalonia saves Montserrat from the threat of sacking and destruction.
1939 The war ends, and the monks return to Montserrat.
1947 Festivities to celebrate the Enthronement of Our Lady, considered the first move towards civil reconciliation after the war.
1950 The Mountain of Montserrat Trust is established.
1968 The new monastery façade is completed.
1970 Three hundred intellectuals lock themselves into the monastery to demand greater respect for human rights by the Franco dictatorship.
1976 A new restaurant building, the Mirador dels Apòstols, opens, increasing the capacity to cater for large groups of pilgrims.
1982 The new museum of modern Catalan painting opens.
1982 Pope John Paul II makes a pilgrimage to Montserrat together with representatives from the Catalan Church.
1986 Part of the mountain is razed by a great forest fire.
1987 The Autonomous Government of Catalonia declares Mount Montserrat a nature park.
1991-96 Work to restore the basilica.
1992 Celebration of the 4th Centenary of the Consecration of the Basilica.
1994 A huge forest fire burns part of the mountainside, damaging the Capella de la Santa Cova (Chapel of the Holy Grotto).
1996 The museums are unified. The Museum of Ancient Painting and Archaeology is transferred to the basement of the Abbot’s Tower, extending the area occupied by the modern painting collections.
1997 Restoration of the Capella de la Santa Cova (Chapel of the Holy Grotto), damaged by forest fire in 1994, is completed.
1997 The Fundació Abadia de Montserrat (Montserrat Abbey 2025 Foundation) is established.
1997 Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Enthronement of Our Lady of Montserrat.
2000 An extraordinary rainstorm causes landslides and flooding at the sanctuary, which is closed from June 10 to 24.
2001 The Escolania’s building is restored, and the buildings damaged by the flooding in 2000 (shop, cafeteria and audiovisual room) reopen-.
2003 The new Montserrat’s Cremallera (rack railway) opens.
2004 New access to Montserrat Museum opens
Sources: Wikipedia and Official web site
Coordinates were taken in front of the entrance to the Sanctuary.
Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: Monestir de Montserrat
Address:
Monestir de Montserrat
Monistrol de Montserrat, Cataluña Spain
08199
Religious affiliation: Benedictine
Date founded/constructed: 1025
Web Site: [Web Link]
Status of Use: Acitvely Used
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