Day 5 - Montserrat
It was a full day today. We left the hotel around 7:30 am, got a cab and went down to the train station where we were meeting with our tour group for a full-day at Montserrat, a farm lunch and wine tasting. And it was a full day, but so pleasant.
The drive to Montserrat was about an hour and our guide, Miro, provided us with lots of historical information about Barcelona – from Roman times through the 700-year occupation by the Moors to independence to the Franco regime to the 1992 Olympics that Barcelona hosted. It was a turning point in Barcelona’s history, as our guide said Barcelona was the only city to make a profit from the Olympics, and it was all used to upgrade the infrastructure into what it is today.
The word Montserrat actually means 'serrated mountain' - it has the appearance of being very jagged and forms distinct peaks including Sant Jeroni, Montgros and Les Agulles. It is a mountain that is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. St Jerome is the highest peak on the Montserrat Mountain. All around St. Jerome there are hermitages - tiny chapels that were once inhabited by Monks.
The mountain of Montserrat has been of religious significance since pre-Christian times, when the Romans built a temple to honor the Roman goddess Venus. It now is the site for a Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat. The basilica is a spectacular 16th-century church centerpiece of the monastery. It is world-renowned for housing the “Moreneta” (Black Madonna). The basilica has Gothic and Renaissance styles featuring hanging silver lamps, intricately decorated side chapels, and grand wooden sculptures of prophets by Josep Llimona Basilica de Montserrat: Iglesia del Monasterio de Montserrat.
There’s also a cafeteria, funicular, gift shop, museum, and a liquor tasting station – a grand old capitalist project. People even had to pay to see the Black Madonna up close and do what good Catholics do when they are venerating something/someone.
Speaking of venerating something – Pope Leo is going to be helicoptered onto Montserrat next week during his visit to Barcelona. He also is going to consecrate Sagrada Familia, if I haven’t previously mentioned the occasion. We’re so glad we’re not going to be in Barcelona when he visits.
Okay, legend claims the statue of the Black Madonna was carved in Jerusalem by St. Luke and brought to Spain. It is actually a 12th-century Romanesque wood carving of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child. The 38-inch wooden statue shows evidence of Byzantine conventional and stylized form, and is painted in polychrome. The body is thin, the face elongated. She holds an orb of the earth in her right hand. The Child's hand is raised in a formalized and traditional Eastern blessing.
By one account, the image of the Madonna was moved to Montserrat in 718, to avoid the danger posed by invading Saracens. Legend also has it that the Benedictine could not move the statue to construct their monastery, choosing to instead build around it. The statue's sanctuary is located at the rear of the chapel, where an altar of gold surrounds the icon, and is now a site of pilgrimage.
Not being Catholic….. we visited the basilica a few minutes before a mass was held, then we went and had a liquor tasting. Yepper, there are several types of liquor that are specially made by the Benedictine Monks of Montserrat using their traditional methods. We tried four kinds; here are three of them:
Aromes de Montserrat (aromas of Montserrat) which the monks are famous for producing. It is a bright golden herbal liqueur (31% ABV) flavored with 12 local mountain herbs including thyme, juniper, lavender and cinnamon. It is traditionally distilled in a copper still and aged in oak casks;
Ratafia and Licor Crema Catalana, a traditional Catalan liqueur often made by macerating green walnuts, local herbs, and spices.
Crema Catalana of Montserrat, a smooth, creamy liqueur that captures the flavors of the classic Catalan dessert.
We didn’t particularly like any of them and is there something strange about Benedictine monks making liquor? Or maybe not?
A NOTE ABOUT a photo I’m including. On October 23, 1940, Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi SS, visited the Montserrat Abbey on a secretive, esoteric quest to locate the Holy Grail. He believed the mountain was the mythical "Monsalvat" from Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal and that recovering the relic would grant supernatural powers to the Third Reich. Himmler led the Ahnenerbe (an SS occult research society) and believed the Grail was a magical artifact of Aryan origin. Investigators took verses from the Virolai (the hymn to the Virgin of Montserrat) as hidden clues to its location. Apparently, the Abbot refused to greet him. A young Benedictine monk, Father Andreu Ripoll, who was the only one in the monastery who spoke German, was ordered to act as his interpreter. Himmler spent hours exploring the library and basements, demanding documents relating to Perceval and the Grail. The monks flatly denied that the Grail was on the premises and suggested he pay his respects to La Moreneta (the Black Madonna), an offer he refused. Unsuccessful and visibly frustrated, Himmler left the abbey after a few minutes of private conversation, returning to Barcelona later that day to fly back to Germany.
Photo of Himmler and the Ahnenerbe in 1940 at Montserrat on their quest to find the Holy Grail
Our group then descended the mountain on a 15-minute scenic cogwheel train to Monistrol de Montserrat station (or Monistrol-Vila). The Montserrat Rack (Cremallera) is Catalonia’s iconic mountain train, first opened in 1892. Conceived by engineer Joaquim Carrera inspired by Swiss mountain trains, it revolutionized visits to the monastery by allowing day trips from Barcelona. The original train was a coal-fired steam engine with wooden cars that featured velvet-cushion seats, carpet and plenty of legroom. An engine and car were on display at the Monistrol-vila station. Following financial struggles, the original railway closed in 1957, but reopened on June 6, 2003 after extensive modernization.
From there, we went to Heretat Oller Del Mas in Manresa. The farm was established in 964. It is a historic 600-hectare organic wine estate in Manresa. Dating back to the 10th century, it features a medieval castle that has been carefully restored and is one of only five wineries in Catalonia producing "Vi de Finca". The estate's history spans over 1,000 years and 36 generations. Over the centuries, it has been home to knights, nobles, religious figures, and master craftsmen who shaped the local region.
The name "Oller" translates to "the one who makes pots". This lineage is proudly reflected in their coat of arms featuring three gold pots on a red background—an emblem they have used since their beginnings. AND there is a 1,000-year-old kiln on the property that they fire up once a year and make pots in the traditional method. They invite the public and three are chosen through a lottery to take home one of the three pots that are made.
Also, the castle's rich past includes a stay by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Iñigo) in 1522 during his time in Manresa. In his honor, the family dedicated a 17th-century chapel on the grounds, which remains active to this day.
Following the original Oller lineage, the estate was passed down to the Margenat family, who continue to safeguard the property. Between 1981 and 2008, they fully restored the medieval castle and expanded it into a high-end wine tourism destination. They produce exceptional, 100% organic, and biodynamic wines. Thanks to the rigorous terroir and strict production rules, their wine earned the prestigious "Vi de Finca" title, the highest wine-making distinction in Catalonia (comparable to a French Grand Cru).
The family also is attempting to revive grapes that were nearly lost to disease, so it also is kind of a laboratory of sorts.
We had a tapas-kind-of lunch with Iberian meats and such while tasting four wines – all of which were Michelin-quality wines. Afterward, we bought a glass of wine and sat on the patio, which was very pleasant.
ANOTHER NOTE OF INTEREST ABOUT POOPING: I published a photo a couple of days ago of a character squatting, bearing his butt and pooping, thinking it was a clever – albeit a little gross – marketing ploy for chocolate. Well, I was totally WRONG, as our guide Miro explained. In Catalonia, Christmas traditions famously feature two distinct, beloved characters that "poop:”
El Caganer (“The Pooper”) is usually a small ceramic figurine of a peasant wearing a traditional red cap (barretina), squatting with his trousers down to defecate. He is discreetly hidden in the back or corner of the traditional Catalan nativity scene (pessebre). Dating back to the 17th century, the act of pooping is highly symbolic. Historically, it was believed that his "miraculous" feces fertilized the earth, ensuring a prosperous harvest, good luck, and wealth for the coming year. It is a beloved family game for children to hunt for the hidden character each morning. Today, you can find modern caganers crafted as caricatures of famous politicians, athletes, and celebrities.
Tió de Nadal ("The Pooping Log"), also known as Caga Tió ("Shit Log"), it is a hollow wooden log with a smiley face and a red Catalan cap. In the days leading up to Christmas, children "feed" the log bits of fruit, bread, and water, and tuck it in with a blanket to keep it warm. On Christmas Eve, the children sing a traditional carol and hit the log with sticks while commanding it to "poop" out presents. The blanket is then lifted to reveal nuts, candies, and small gifts that the log has "popped" out.
So know you now……
We board our Azamara Quest tomorrow – we sail at 6 pm and arrive in Valencia on Wednesday.
"Beth with a stylized pig on the property." Sort of like a javelina, but in a different country. Oh, the deep history of the area, and I didn't know that about Himmler. Or about the pooping...
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