Historical

Located in a mountain of impressive relief and spectacular shapes, the monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat has lived a long history which has led it to grow as a popular sanctuary, to develop as a very relevant cultural focus, to overcome almost total destruction and to become a point of reference for the country.

Through all these circumstances, it has never ceased to be a community of faith that has faithfully persevered under the rule of Saint Benedict for a thousand years.

The works of art preserved in the monastery take it upon themselves to tell with their testimony this millennial history.

Why does following and finishing a route make us so happy? This is one of the questions climbers often ask themselves. Climbing is not only about reaching the summit, it's about discovery, the sequence of moves, the landscape, the company... All of these are factors that help turn a climb into something truly special.

Montserrat has witnessed many first ascents. Entre còdols reveals the roots of early climbs on the mountain of Montserrat: how climbing began in the heart of Catalonia and how it evolved, transforming these ascents into sculptures—so that the sensation of climbing becomes a form of artistic expression.

On the occasion of the thousandth anniversary of the founding of the Monastery of Montserrat, the exhibition Virgo Serena opens, featuring previously unpublished and artistically sensitive images of the Virgin of Montserrat, captured by renowned photographer Lluís Casals i Coll (Barcelona, 1954–2021). These photographs are the result of a report commissioned by the Abbey of Montserrat in 2001, as part of the radiographic studies and restoration work carried out on the Holy Image. They reveal the serenity and symbolic power of the Virgin of Montserrat, as photographed on 6 and 22 March 2001.

Opening hours:

• Thursday to Saturday, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
• Sundays and public holidays, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

Eyes, Nose, and Mouth claims an art often excluded or segregated from art institutions, on the margins of the art world. Not of its own volition, but as a result of a lack of mediation with the art world and also, why not say it, as a result of social stigmatization.

The selection of works has been brought together to showcase the richness and intensity of an activity that many would like to categorize strictly as therapeutic. It is important to note that, beyond labels, the origins of these works mean they are very rarely considered of interest in an art world shaped by a neuronormative bias.

In the mid-19th century, the commercial opening of Japan to the West cast a fascination for Japanese culture that was an important component of our Modernisme. Santiago Rusiñol was a collector of Japanese prints.

The collection of Japanese prints at the Museum of Montserrat comes from the donation of the Paris-based Catalan librarian Just Cabot (1898-1961), who came to Montserrat in 1962. It consists of sixteen engravings, eight of which are by Hiroshige, the Velázquez of Japanese art. The other eight are by artists of lesser status but of great interest. They all date from the 18th and 19th centuries, the golden age of Japanese printmaking.

They are prints of the Ukiyo-e style, which means ‘painting of the floating world’, a school which takes pleasure in representing scenes of everyday life, women known for their beauty or popularity, kabuki theatre actors, but also typical and popular landscapes and still the social life of the city of Edo which attracted a multitude of artists dedicated mainly to singing the delights of the good life of the wealthy merchants.

It is unusual to find in the West, and much less so in our country, large collections of Japanese prints, which is why the one at Montserrat Abbey is particularly interesting.
It is rare to find large collections of Japanese prints in the West, and even less so in our country, which is why the one at the Abbey of Montserrat is particularly interesting.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Anton Lamazares exhibits a very personal proposal. His works bring us messages from some of the most outstanding mystical authors, among which St John of the Cross is prominent. Some of Christianity’s greatest authors are also present, with St Benedict and St Bernard.

The exhibition “Laus Deo” marks the recommencement of art exhibitions by contemporary artists at the Museum of Montserrat, which had been interrupted due to the pandemic. It is, therefore, a reaffirmation of the Museum’s long-standing commitment and firm pledge to connect with art at the forefront of the contemporary movement.

Givins 2012 - 2022
April 5 to june 30, 2024
Curators: Sílvia Muñoz d'Imbert and Santi Barjau

«Givins 2012 - 2022» is an exhibition of gratitude to all the donors who, with their generosity, have become part of the history of the Museum of Montserrat and, above all, a tribute to the man who has been the soul of the Museum for more than four decades, Fr. Josep de Calassanç Laplana.

The Museum's galleries will be open to an extensive selection of works donated between 2012 and 2022. For the exhibition, we conceived the selected donations along two different discursive lines, both in terms of their origin and chronology, which we wanted to interweave in the galleries to form part of a whole.

Montserrat, monastère millénaire
April 23 - June 26, 2024
Centre d'études catalanes, Sorbonne Université, París
Curator: G. Xavier Caballé

Montserrat is present all-around Catalonia. In almost any city or town it is easy to find representations of the Lady of Montserrat, churches with her name, tiles on the front of houses, as well as streets, squares and entities dedicated to her. And more intimate details, such as medals, key rings, holy cards that many of us wear next to our skin or in our wallets. And even today, many women are called Montserrat, Montse, Tona, Bruna, Muntsa, Rat ...

Montserrat has been with the Catalans everywhere they have gone. A hermitage close to Havana, an island in the West Indies, towns in Venezuela, Honduras, Chile. The name Montserrat always transports the Catalans to their country. A thousand years after the foundation of the monastery and sanctuary of Montserrat, it continues to be the spiritual reference for the Catalan people and their most important sign of identity.