Montserrat Abbey

Why go

Santa Maria de Montserrat is the Benedictine abbey on the mountain of Montserrat, in the municipality of Monistrol de Montserrat; it is not in the city of Barcelona, and the mountain is a separate subject. The abbey's history page says Oliba, abbot of Ripoll and bishop of Vic, founded the monastery in 1025, that it became an independent abbey in 1409, that the present church was consecrated in 1592, and that Napoleon's army destroyed Montserrat in 1811 and 1812 before its definitive rebuilding began in 1858. The abbey's reservations FAQ says that whether an advance reservation is needed varies by service and day, that a reservation guarantees access to the conventual Mass, the image of the Virgin of Montserrat and the midday Salve and Virolai sung by the Escolania, and that the reservation is free of charge.