The trip begins with a panoramic visit of Barcelona by bus: we will go through the Catalonia Square, the famous Paseo de Gracia and by two of the most important works of Gaudi: The Batlló house and the Pedrera.
We will leave the centre and we will go towards Montserrat, a unique Natural Park in the world, one of the most important museums of the country and the Pattern of Catalonia’s Sanctuary.
Located within the incomparable framework of Montserrat Mountain, that is a unique geologic formation, raised majestically to 1,235 meters of height.
On XI century Oliba abbot founded a small monastery next to the Santa Maria hermitage, between years 1493 and 1835, time of deep reforms of growth and splendour, Montserrat belonged to the Valladolid’s Congregation.
The Napoleonic war (1808-1811) and the confiscation of 1835 brought the destruction and the abandonment, but soon (1844) the restoration began, only paralyzed by the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), that turned Montserrat into the monastery-sanctuary that is today.
The present community is formed by about eighty monks.
Like in all the Benedictine monasteries, the Montserrat monks dedicate their life to the oration, the welcome and the work, following the San Benito’s motto.
We can visits its Real Basilica, where is the Moreneta Virgin, roman carve from the XII century, and we will be able to listen "the Escolanía de Montserrat", that is to the sanctuary service o, is one of the older music’s schools of Europe.
There are documents of XIV century that already give testimony of the escolanía existence in Montserrat, a religious institution and musical character. Now the escolanos participates in the liturgical celebrations and in the communitarian oration that becomes at the basilica. All the escolanos receive a musical formation of high level, along with the human and intellectual education. Its prestige is recognized internationally, they makes concerts tours everywhere and has an abundant discography.
The Montserrat monastery has developed an important roll in the country’s cultural life. The present library has its beginning at the end of XIX century and, specially, it grew during the time at which the P. Antoni Maria Marcet was abbot (1913-1946).
In few years the library increased the number of volumes from fifteen thousand to the approximated number of one hundred fifty thousands. The Spanish civil war, first, and, later, World War II interrupted or at least made difficult the acquisitions.
Later, in the last decades, have been able to duplicate their volumes.
At the conclusion return to the Port or Hotel.