The Benedictine Monastery
The Benedictine Monastery is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Montserrat audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Montserrat Montserrat guide
About The Benedictine Monastery
A thousand-year-old Benedictine abbey and symbol of Catalan identity, founded by Abbot Oliba in 1025, destroyed by Napoleon and rebuilt, home to a community of monks, a great library and an old printing press.
The Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat grew from a mountain hermitage given to the abbey of Ripoll in 888, and was founded as a monastery around 1025 by Abbot Oliba. It became an independent abbey in 1409, ran a printing press from the 1490s, and grew into one of the great spiritual centres of Catalonia.
Napoleon's army destroyed it in 1811-1812, and later laws reduced it to a single monk, but the community returned and rebuilt it from 1858. Through the Franco years it was a refuge of the Catalan language and spirit. Today around seventy monks live here, keeping a famous library and the medieval Llibre Vermell.
Did you know? The Benedictine monastery of Montserrat grew from a hermitage given to the abbey of Ripoll in 888 and was founded around 1025 by Abbot Oliba; it became an independent abbey in 1409 and ran a printing press from the 1490s.
How long should you spend at The Benedictine Monastery?
Plan about ~45 min at The Benedictine Monastery. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is The Benedictine Monastery worth visiting?
The Benedictine Monastery is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Montserrat, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Montserrat
Day 1 of the Montserrat in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of The Benedictine Monastery
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