This is a unique form massif that rises abruptly to the west of the river Llobregat to the 1236 meters high peak of St. Jerome. Other prominent peaks are the Cavall Bernat, the Agulles, the Serrat del Moro, the Montgròs, Sant Joan and Palomera. In 1987 he was declared a nature reserve to ensure its preservation.
The whimsical shapes of the mountain's most emblematic Catalan principality, are the result of geological and geomorphological process of millions of years.
When the sea tertiary occupied what is now the "Plana de Lleida", and the Balearic Islands were a great massif of the current size of the Pyrenees, a delta formed by pebbles and other debris material carried by a large torrential river occupied this land . Parent material thickness and layers of sandstone and marl were cemented with the progressive desiccation of this delta. But do not set the start point of the current relief to the violence of great episode of the Alpine Orogeny, which collectively raised and fractured Montserrat conglomerate (known as conglomerate) completely changed the landscape.
Differential erosion of the water acting on different resistance materials and composition, work that facilitated the multiple cracks, has led to relief as distinctive and magical, with needles, valleys, Baum and caves, which shows Montserrat magnificently today.
As good Mediterranean mountains, forests of oak and durum occupy large parts of it may seem a barren mountain, is a great variety of vegetation once we get into it, especially in shady areas and inland valleys, where shrubs and vines damper characteristics, such as sarsaparilla, boxwood and buckthorn colonize the ground in oak woods.
Among the most characteristic fauna are wild boars and wild goats as mammals and easier to see eagles and owls as birds more colorful though nocturnal habits. The salamander, the common toad, jay, sparrowhawk, the ladder snake and the bat, among other fauna elements complement the ecology of the mountain.
Since legend has found the image of the Virgin in the Santa Cova, Montserrat has been associated with spirituality. Additionally, the mountain monastery has a remarkable number of small churches and emit some abandoned as Santa Cecilia, Saint Benedict, Saint John or St. Jerome.
Our Lady, popularly known as "the Moreneta" for its dark color, is a Romanesque sculpture in wood dated to the late twelfth century. Its color is the result of the transformation of varnish over time. The feast of the Virgin of Montserrat is celebrated on 27 April. The Virgin is the patroness of Catalonia.
Among the various buildings of the Benedictine monastery, the Chapter House, the neo-Romanesque cloister and refectory, are its architectural style, renovated in 1925 by Josep Puig.
The present community of Montserrat is composed of about eighty monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict (sixth century). The main objective of the community and continue to make the mountain a meeting and prayer.
The culture also part of Montserrat since the monastery has a library with nearly 300,000 volumes, a choir of children singing (considered the conservatory of Europe's oldest child) and a museum featuring works by artists like El Greco, Picasso, Salvador Dalí. Also there are some treasures of ancient Egypt among which includes a mummy.
The monastery is also the source of publishing initiatives as the Publications of the Abbey of Montserrat, the magazine Serra d'Or.
But I can understand why. It would be great if we could rent a space in the monastery there and have an EE meeting!
