Montserrat (mountain)

This page is about the mountain in Catalonia, Spain. For other uses, see Montserrat (disambiguation).

Montserrat
Montserrat seen from Manresa
Elevation	1,236 m (4,055 ft)
Location
Location	Bages, Anoia, Baix Llobregat, ( Catalonia), ( Spain)
Range	Catalan Pre-Coastal Range
Coordinates	41°35′30″N 1°50′16″E / 41.59167°N 1.83778°E / 41.59167; 1.83778
Geology
Type	Conglomerate
Climbing
Easiest route	Via road BP-1121 from Monistrol de Montserrat

Santa Cova Chapel in the mountain

Montserrat (Catalan pronunciation: [munsəˈrat]) is a multi-peaked mountain located near the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1 ,120 m) and Miranda de les Agulles (903 m).^[1] The mountain is the namesake for the Caribbean island of Montserrat.

It is well-known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified by some ^[2] with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth.

"Montserrat" literally means "jagged (serrated) mountain" in Catalan. It describes the peculiar aspect of the rock formation, which is visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock.

Access

The Benedictine Abbey can be reached by road, or by the Aeri de Montserrat cable car, or by the Montserrat Rack Railway. The lower stations of both the rack railway and the cable car can be reached by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya train from Barcelona's Plaça d'Espanya station. From the abbey, the Funicular de Sant Joan funicular railway goes up to the top of the mountain, where there are various abandoned hovels in the cliff faces that were previously the abodes of reclusive monks, whilst the Funicular de Santa Cova descends to a shrine.

Hiking and climbing

The highest summit of Montserrat is called Sant Jeroni (Saint Jerome) and stands at 1,236 meters (4,055 feet) above sea-level. It is accessible by hiking trails which connect from the top entrance to the Sant Joan funicular, the monastery, or the base of the mountain.

The Cavall Bernat (1 ,111 m) is an important rock feature popular with climbers.

High resolution panorama of the view from the Sant Jeroni summit of Montserrat

References

1. ^ Mapa Topogràfic de Catalunya - Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya
2. ^ Wolfram von Eschenbach, "Parzival", The legend stems from the Medieval German tale that refers to a mountain called Monsalvat as the location of the grail.

External links

• LARSA Montserrat How to arrive, where to eat, general services
• Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat History, description and photos
• "Patronage and Piety: Montserrat and the Royal House of Medieval Catalonia-Aragon"^{[dead link]} Detailed history of the abbey (PDF)
• Official website of the Escolania
• Official website of the Abbey