Basílica

Montserrat


With marbled floors and art nouveau–style frescoes visible between graceful archways, the open courtyard fronting Montserrat's basilica immediately sets an impressive tone. The basilica itself, consecrated in 1592, has a brick facade featuring carvings of Christ and the 12 Apostles, dating to the early 20th century. Beyond its heavy doors, the interior glitters with white marble and gold in Renaissance and Catalan Gothic styles.

The stairs to the narrow Cambril de la Mare de Déu, housing La Moreneta, are to the right of the main basilica entrance. The room on the west side of the courtyard from the basilica entrance is filled with offbeat ex-voto gifts and thank-you messages to the Virgin, while the alley you wander down after exiting the Cambril is alight with flickering candles.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montserrat attractions

1. Monestir de Montserrat

Catalonia's most renowned monastery was established in 1025 to commemorate local shepherds' visions of the Virgin Mary, accompanied by celestial light and…

2. Cambril de la Mare de Déu

0.01 MILES

Signs to the right of the entrance to Montserrat's main basilica lead into the intimate Cambril de la Mare de Déu, where you can pay homage to the famous…

3. Museu de Montserrat

0.1 MILES

This museum has excellent displays, ranging from an archaeological section with an Egyptian mummy to Gothic altarpieces to fine canvases by Caravaggio, El…

4. Espai Audiovisual

0.11 MILES

This insightful walk-through multimedia space illustrates the daily life and activities of the monks, the geology of Montserrat, and the history and…

5. Santa Cova

0.5 MILES

To see the 17th-century chapel built on the spot where holy visions of the Virgin Mary appeared to astonished shepherds, take the Funicular de la Santa…

6. Cova de Sant Ignasi

8.84 MILES

Basque theologian Ignatius of Loyola (Basque: Ignazio Loiolakoa), founder of the Jesuits, spent 1522 in Manresa, during which time he was inspired to…

7. La Seu

8.9 MILES

On the site of a Romanesque predecessor, Manresa's elegantly austere basilica is a gem of Catalan Gothic architecture, commissioned in 1322 yet 160 years…

8. Carrer del Balç

8.96 MILES

Originally an artisans' street, this hushed, slender alley is one of only two entirely medieval streets that survive in Catalonia. It was privatised in…

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