A Spiritual Journey In Montserrat

 As we celebrate International Women's Day this Sunday on 8 March, I am presenting here our Lady of Montserrat, popularly know as La Morenata (the dark one)  as she is one of the well known Black Madonnas. Our Lady of Montserrat is venerated in the Benedictine Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat built right on top of the Montserrat Mountains near Barcelona, Spain.  As you can see, we arrived here on a rainy day with thick fog as we drove up the mountains to reach the peak. It is such a wonder that a Monastery with a Romanesque Basilica was built here even earlier than the 18th Century. 

The experience of Montserrat was truly an experience of getting closer to Heaven and God.  The Benedictine monks built their Monastery high up the rock formations of the Montserrat mountains to be reclusive, spiritual and closer to heaven and God as they can get.  A visit in the Monastery to see the monks sanctuary, the Basilica and Our Lady of Montserrat was truly a memorable and once in a lifetime experience. I hope you will be blessed to attend a mass there, to visit the Shrine, up close to say your prayers to Our Lady and then listen to the  angelic voices of the Escalonia Boys' choir. For me, it was an adventure and a spiritual journey that I will always treasure.

 

 Wooden statue of St Michael the Archangel welcoming the pilgrims. 

The Benedictine Monastery. 

Marble floors entrance to the Basilica of Our Lady of Montserrat. 

The whole mountain range is called Montserrat because it is composed of serrated rock formations that is 4,055 ft above sea level. 

 

 Entrance to the Basilica.

 Carved statues of the 12 Apostles with Jesus all looking up to Heaven.

Inside the golden Romanesque Basilica. 

We were lucky that there was a mass celebration when we arrived.

 

 This is the stairs entrance toward the upper chapel to be closer to Our Lady of Montserrat.

Angels carved in marble lining the entrance towards Our Lady's shrine. 

 

 

Our Lady of Montserrat was carved out of wood believed to be created by St Luke in Jerusalem. Pilgrims can rub the Globe that Our Lady is holding on her right hand while praying for their intentions.

Our Lady was originally found in a cave here in Montserrat. Then during the Napoleonic wars in the 18th Century, Napoleon's army destroyed the Monastery but Our Lady's statue was saved, hidden again in one of the caves near the Monastery. When the statue was found in the cave during the 19th Century, the statue was placed in the Romanesque Basilica where now it has performed many miracles and have established devotion from the pilgrims.

From Barcelona, pilgrims can reach the Monastery by joining a Bus Tour Group, by car or by train.

On this International Women's Day, we honour all women from all around the world regardless of our nationalities, colour, marital status and religion. We are all in solidarity to strengthen our Women's Power by spreading love, compassion and respect to everyone, just like our Our Mother Mary served as an example of goodness and faith when she lived here on Earth.