When we where in Spain ,  thank to Eduard , we had a possibility to visit a special place- Montserrat.

 It was so  emotionally. It is a special place.

 I wanted to visit this place rather longtime , but only this  year, that to Eduard, I could do it.

In 1025 the Abbot of Ripoli and Bishop of Vic Oliba officially founded the Monastery of Montserrat. Over this period pilgrims began to come to Montserrat.

As time went on, word of the Monserrat grew. In 1493, one of the Monks from Montserrat (Bernal Boil) went on a voyage to America with Christopher Columbus.

In the 19th century, Montserrat hit some troubling times. In 1811-1812 Montserrat was destroyed by Napoleon’s army. In 1858 the reconstruction of Montserrat began.

Once again in the 20th century, Montserrat went through some hard times as the Spanish War forced Monks to leave the Monastery.

In 1982, Pope John Paul II visited Montserrat and the Basilica was restored and built to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims coming to Montserrat each year.

Fast forward to today, there are about 100 Monks who are based at the Monastery. The Monks live in a building that sits just to the left of the Basilica. It can be accessed from the Atrium of the Basilica, but it is not open to the public. You can actually get in touch with the Monks if you have any special prayer requests, retreats to the Monastery or stays in the Monastery for religious groups.

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