Camino Ignaciano: Montserrat (Day 12 & 13)
Days 12 & 13: Our Stay in Montserrat
We had arrived in Montserrat!
We had arrived in Montserrat!
Coming from our Day 12 camino in Cervera, we hopped on the bus which brought us to the mountain of Montserrat. As we arrived, Barbara, one of our co-pilgrims, told me, "It's a special place. You'll see." I smiled and looked forward in anticipation. This was the place that St. Ignatius traveled so far to reach. Here, he gave up his sword and his former life, and dedicated himself to the Lord. I had wondered what was so special about this place, that he would choose to pronounce his vow here and not anywhere else. Now I was about to find out.
MEETING MONTSERRAT
We got off the bus in the parking area designated for tourist buses. Only small vehicles were allowed to go up the Monastery compound, so we had to walk! At once, the beauty of the surroundings captivated me. Just from the entrance, a marvelous view of the surrounding mountains was laid out before us. A thin layer of clouds and fog was slowly descending and enveloping the mountain ranges and the cities below. It was breathtaking!
We proceeded to walk. Now I began to see the various buildings which made up the compound. There was a tourist center with the usual gift shops, a couple of restaurants and a museum. I was surprised at the number of people who were present. There were literally thousands! Somehow, I had expected to see a calm quiet monastery with only a handful of devotees. Instead, there were several large groups of tourists belonging to various nationalities and yes, even different religions. The atmosphere carried a subdued noise and energy, as though the excitement and frenzy of modern tourism tried to assert its voice but found itself being hushed into awe and silence by the serenity of the place.
We headed up the stone steps. And at the top, there it was... the Abbey of Montserrat, otherwise known as the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat. And above it loomed the commanding figure of the bald serrated mountains of Montserrat.
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| A view of the Monastery compound and the mountains of Montserrat from the entrance gate |
OF MONKS AND PRAYERS
After finding our rooms and unpacking, we headed off to join the late afternoon mass. Several months before this trip, I had the opportunity to live in another Benedictine monastery, the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Bukidnon, which incidentally housed a replica of the Our Lady of Montserrat. Now, I was about to see a more famous Benedictine Abbey and the original Black Madonna in person!
We arrived on a Saturday, so there was an early festive mass immediately following the Vespers. I found a seat near the front and waited for the ceremonies to start. The basilica was crowded, with many people attending out of curiosity rather than devotion. I was glad that the security guards kept the proceedings solemn by disallowing cameras, noise and other distractions while ceremonies were ongoing.
The monks slowly filed in and took their seats. I made a mental note of how many they were. I was glad to see about 40-50 monks of varying generations. In Bukidnon, the monks were barely a dozen and I remember Dom Carlo, the guest master, lamenting the decline in the number of people taking up this type of vocation. Here in Montserrat, the community was larger in number and much younger.
Then the boys came. The monastery also houses a school and a boys' choir. The Escolania, as the school is called, provides musical training, as well as academic education, to the choir members. The Boys' Choir is one of the oldest in Europe and has gained international acclaim, doing global performances and producing recordings. The choir joins the liturgical celebrations and performs the Vespers at the Basilica.
Vespers started. It was sung in Spanish, but the proceedings were as I remembered it from Bukidnon. The chanting of the psalms by the monks and the singing of prayers by the choir were beautiful. My only regret is not bringing along my copy of the Vespers so that I could understand what was being sung.
The next morning, I woke up early to join the Lauds. This time, the courtyard fronting the church was empty when I entered, but I saw a lady walking towards the church and I followed her in. Inside, the monks were slowly taking their places. There were only a handful of lay people and the atmosphere was very solemn and peaceful, very much different from the previous day's jam-packed crowd of tourists.
The prayers started. And this time, I remembered to bring a copy of the English version of the Divine Office. :)
THE ORIGINAL LADY
One of the advantages in staying overnight in Montserrat is avoiding the crowds. During the day, the lines of people wanting to venerate the Black Madonna were so long. But after the evening mass, my companions and I found the place empty. Seeing that the doors were still open, we quickly made our way to Our Lady, whose statue was perched high up in the basilica apse, looking down at the main altar.
Our Lady of Montserrat is popularly known as the Black Madonna because of her dark skin color. The statue is a wooden sculpture believed to have been carved in Jerusalem during the early days of the Church. It was given to the Bishop of Barcelona who brought it to Spain. The statue was later hidden in a cave to protect it from the Moors. In 890, legend says that shepherds saw a bright light and heard music from the mountains, thus leading to the statue's discovery. Since then, from a small church which housed Our Lady of Montserrat, the place grew into the present-day Basilica and Monastery.
Many miracles are said to be attributed to the Virgin of Montserrat. Her image shows a slender lady with an elegant face. She is seated on a throne, with one hand on her Son and the other hand raised, holding a globe. The Baby Jesus sits on her lap, with one hand in a blessing and the other holding a pine cone. The statue is encased in glass, but the globe on the Virgin's hand is exposed. You can stand in front of the statue and touch the globe while saying your prayers. Behind the statue, a large room called the Chamber of the Virgin contains several pews where pilgrims can spend time praying to the Madonna.
EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS
We had the good fortune of staying inside the Monastery Compound for two nights. After the walk on Day 13, when we walked up to Montserrat from Sant Pau de la Guardia, we were rewarded with an afternoon off to explore the area.
The word Montserrat meant 'serrated edge', pertaining to the unique shape and form of the Montserrat Mountain. The mountain and the area around it has been designated as one of Catalunya's magnificent natural park. There are several trails where one can walk or hike, as well as mountain peaks which one can climb and conquer. There were walks leading to religious sites, such as the Santa Cova, where the image of Our Lady was first found, or to spectacular views of the Pyrenees and the Llobregat Valley.
Fortunately for us who were tired of walking, there was also the Funicular, a small train which brought tourists to specific points on the mountain. At 4 pm, my roommate Dit and I met up with Fr. Louis to ride the Funicular. We chose to ride the Funicular de Sant Joan, which brought us uphill. The ride was comfortable but very steep. From the train, we had a bird's eye view of the Monastery below and the mountains that surrounded it.
The Funicular brought us to the start of a variety of walks around the Montserrat Natural Park. There were several groups of tourists, both local and foreign, who were enthusiastically and energetically walking around, climbing the occasional boulders which formed part of the terrain. We walked around for a few minutes, but in the end, we chose to sit by the side of the mountain and spend the time enjoying the view and chatting.
On our way down, we met a Filipina who came from Germany. Her name was Rose Webber. She was an OFW nurse who later on married a German and settled in Berlin. That day was her birthday! She was 56 years old but has been widowed for the last five years. She lived alone, with her only son currently staying in the US. That year, she had decided to offer her birthday to Our Lady of Montserrat by spending the day in the area.
I was glad to meet her and happy that we could provide her some companionship for a few moments. She was a cheerful petite lady, who exuded optimism despite the many hardships she endured as an OFW and as a grieving spouse. She was like the mountains of Montserrat, where life's jagged edges were polished smooth with patience and love.
The monks slowly filed in and took their seats. I made a mental note of how many they were. I was glad to see about 40-50 monks of varying generations. In Bukidnon, the monks were barely a dozen and I remember Dom Carlo, the guest master, lamenting the decline in the number of people taking up this type of vocation. Here in Montserrat, the community was larger in number and much younger.
 |
| Inside the Basilica: Jesus hangs from a crucifix over the main altar while Our Lade of Montserrat watches from above |
Then the boys came. The monastery also houses a school and a boys' choir. The Escolania, as the school is called, provides musical training, as well as academic education, to the choir members. The Boys' Choir is one of the oldest in Europe and has gained international acclaim, doing global performances and producing recordings. The choir joins the liturgical celebrations and performs the Vespers at the Basilica.
Vespers started. It was sung in Spanish, but the proceedings were as I remembered it from Bukidnon. The chanting of the psalms by the monks and the singing of prayers by the choir were beautiful. My only regret is not bringing along my copy of the Vespers so that I could understand what was being sung.
The next morning, I woke up early to join the Lauds. This time, the courtyard fronting the church was empty when I entered, but I saw a lady walking towards the church and I followed her in. Inside, the monks were slowly taking their places. There were only a handful of lay people and the atmosphere was very solemn and peaceful, very much different from the previous day's jam-packed crowd of tourists.
The prayers started. And this time, I remembered to bring a copy of the English version of the Divine Office. :)
 |
| As Lauds finished, I came out of the Basilica in time to see the sunrise. But an amazing sight met me. The full moon was still shining over these mountains while the sun rose in the opposite direction. |
THE ORIGINAL LADY
One of the advantages in staying overnight in Montserrat is avoiding the crowds. During the day, the lines of people wanting to venerate the Black Madonna were so long. But after the evening mass, my companions and I found the place empty. Seeing that the doors were still open, we quickly made our way to Our Lady, whose statue was perched high up in the basilica apse, looking down at the main altar.
 |
| Rows and rows of multi-colored candles are lined up, representing the petitions of many pilgrims to Our Lady of Montserrat |
EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS
We had the good fortune of staying inside the Monastery Compound for two nights. After the walk on Day 13, when we walked up to Montserrat from Sant Pau de la Guardia, we were rewarded with an afternoon off to explore the area.
The word Montserrat meant 'serrated edge', pertaining to the unique shape and form of the Montserrat Mountain. The mountain and the area around it has been designated as one of Catalunya's magnificent natural park. There are several trails where one can walk or hike, as well as mountain peaks which one can climb and conquer. There were walks leading to religious sites, such as the Santa Cova, where the image of Our Lady was first found, or to spectacular views of the Pyrenees and the Llobregat Valley.
 |
| The serrated edges of the Montserrat Mountain |
Fortunately for us who were tired of walking, there was also the Funicular, a small train which brought tourists to specific points on the mountain. At 4 pm, my roommate Dit and I met up with Fr. Louis to ride the Funicular. We chose to ride the Funicular de Sant Joan, which brought us uphill. The ride was comfortable but very steep. From the train, we had a bird's eye view of the Monastery below and the mountains that surrounded it.
The Funicular brought us to the start of a variety of walks around the Montserrat Natural Park. There were several groups of tourists, both local and foreign, who were enthusiastically and energetically walking around, climbing the occasional boulders which formed part of the terrain. We walked around for a few minutes, but in the end, we chose to sit by the side of the mountain and spend the time enjoying the view and chatting.
On our way down, we met a Filipina who came from Germany. Her name was Rose Webber. She was an OFW nurse who later on married a German and settled in Berlin. That day was her birthday! She was 56 years old but has been widowed for the last five years. She lived alone, with her only son currently staying in the US. That year, she had decided to offer her birthday to Our Lady of Montserrat by spending the day in the area.
I was glad to meet her and happy that we could provide her some companionship for a few moments. She was a cheerful petite lady, who exuded optimism despite the many hardships she endured as an OFW and as a grieving spouse. She was like the mountains of Montserrat, where life's jagged edges were polished smooth with patience and love.
 |
| Bird's eye view of the Monastery from the Funicular |
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