Montserrat is a jagged mountain range about 45 minutes outside the city of Barcelona. There you will find awesome views of mountains, mist and the Catalonian country side below. Montserrat is home to a Benedictine Abbey which hosts the "Virgin of Montserrat"- a black Madonna statue which attracts many devout pilgrims. She holds in her lap a baby Jesus, and you can touch her hand through a hole in her encasement.
The journey to the Abbey is almost as beautiful as the destination itself. We kept climbing higher and higher into the mountains, hugging cliffs with our enormous bus, which made me a little uneasy. Finally we were up in the clouds...and it felt like a dream.
While I am not a religious person, I can say I had a very spiritual experience here. One look at the photos can give you some idea of how special a place this is. Even before the abbey was built- in pre christian times, the mountain itself was of religious significance when the Romans built a temple there to honor Venus. As we approached the abbey, I started to feel a little woozy. I am not sure if it was the altitude, or the energy surrounding it all.
Millions of people have prayed here, lit candles, and touched the hand of "The Little Dark One". We followed suit, and did all of these things. Lit our candles, prayed, touched her hand, and marveled at the extreme beauty of the building and it's surroundings.
It seems it would be much easier to remember your connection to the generations that went before when you're in a place like that holding the same hand they held.
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