Dear Commons Community,
Today we toured Montserrat, a mountain reaching over 4,000 feet about a one hour ride from Barcelona. It is home to Santa Maria de Montserrat, a Benedictine Monastery which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, and the Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house and the oldest press in the world still running, with the first book published in 1499.

The Virgin of Montserrat is a statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ and is also known as the Black Virgin. It is Catalonia’s favorite saint and is located in the sanctuary at the rear of the monastery chapel.

The monastery is also home to L’Escolania choir school, a boys’ choir of sopranos and altos.
In addition to the religious and cultural significance, the views on Montserrat are spectacular and reachable by walking paths that snake throughout the area.
An inspiring visit and magnificent place!
Tony