By Charlene Medders
Perched on a mountain, surrounded by colossal rocks and a monastery lies the Museu de Montserrat, or Museum of Montserrat, where people from across the world come to see the significant mountain views and look at intricate art.
Featuring work from world-famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet, the Museum of Montserrat lets you explore another world of antique and modern paintings, sculptures, drawings, archaeology and so much more.
While the museum may include famous names like Picasso and Monet, it also has many pieces of art that represent and have great significance to Montserrat itself. Some pieces showcase the gorgeous rocks that make Montserrat such a unique place to see.
What is Montserrat?
You may be wondering why you need to visit Montserrat or the museum. You may not care to learn about the history of this place. You may just want a cute picture in front of the mountain for your Instagram.
Those are all okay, but if you truly want to experience something special while in Spain, Montserrat is the place to go.
So, what is Montserrat? Well, it is an extravagant mountain range located in Spain, about one hour from Barcelona.
Originally founded a thousand years ago, Montserrat is famous for its monastery. This monastery houses the image of Our Lady of Montserrat. The image is extremely powerful, and it is one of the many reasons people visit Montserrat.
Visitors from around the world come to visit the monastery and see Our Lady, believing that if they touch her, they will inherit good luck. On busy days in Montserrat, long lines form to enter the sacred place just for travelers to see Our Lady.
Besides the monastery, Montserrat has a library, an open-air museum, a boys’ choir, an interactive exhibit, and of course the Museum of Montserrat.
The area also has some of the best views you will see of the mountains of Spain. Montserrat is different from other mountains in particular because of its unique and abnormally shaped rocks, as you can see in the gallery below.
Montserrat was formed by the erosion of hard and soft rocks, creating these unusual rock formations.
Seeing this sight for the first time makes you feel as if you’re in a completely different world. The natural beauty of the mountains leaves you completely stunned. It is certainly a sight worth seeing and exploring.
If you choose to come to Montserrat, you will be met with a street full of locals who have set up tents selling bread, cheese, wine and more. You will see hundreds of people heading to the basilica and monastery, while others hike up to an outlook with a cross for an extraordinary view.
History of the Museum
While walking toward the monastery, you will see the Museum of Montserrat, almost hidden by the gorgeous rocks above.
Compared to the founding of Montserrat itself, The Museum of Montserrat is very young. According to its website, it was created in 1963, and it originally housed paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods along with archaeological materials from the Near East inside the monastery.
About 20 years later, the museum grew, and began to include 19th and 20th century painting collections. The year 2004 was when the museum transformed into how it looks currently. As of 2017, the museum is one of the most visited museums in the region of Catalonia.
It’s important to note that during the 19th century, the monastery at Montserrat was destroyed and removed. It lost all of its historical heritage. So, everything at the Museum of Montserrat was collected pretty recently since the last monastery was destroyed.
Museum Experience
If you’re worried about going to this museum and getting lost, you will be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is to get around. And if you’re used to visiting huge museums like the Louvre, you’re in for a treat with the Museum of Montserrat, as there are only two floors showcasing some fantastic art pieces.
Whether you choose to do the audio-guided tour or simply wander the museum yourself, you will be able to easily navigate through different areas and explore the pieces.
One couple, Tina and Keith, recently visited the museum during their stay in Barcelona. Coming from the U.S., the couple took this trip to explore different parts of Spain such as Madrid and Barcelona.
“We came to Montserrat because of a recommendation from a friend who has visited, and we love it so far,” Tina said.
She said they are big art fans and love to explore different museums wherever they go.
“We went to the Reina Sofia art museum in Madrid which was great. We’re going back to Madrid soon, so there are a few other art museums we plan to see,” she said.
Keith said he appreciates this museum because it’s smaller than ones they’ve been to before.
“It’s not so overwhelming. And there’s some amazing art here too. We just saw Monet so that was very exciting,” he said.
Specific Pieces
Some of the art in this museum is unlike any other, but one particular artist’s work stood out the most to me. That artist was Joaquim Mir.
Joaquim Mir’s pieces were featured throughout the museum, and they instantly catch your eye by their bright colors and beautiful landscapes. They reminded me of how bright and colorful our world is. While these are impressionist paintings, they mirror the natural world, especially displaying the beauty of Montserrat with its uniquely shaped rocks and scenery.
Joaquim Mir’s pieces of Montserrat and other notable places like Mallorca were absolutely breathtaking. It was beautiful to see the world through his artistic lens. For some background context, Mir was a Spanish landscape artist born in Barcelona in 1872. He is well-known for the use of bright colors in his work.
The photo above was my favorite piece of the entire museum. It covers almost the entire wall from floor to ceiling, and it cannot be missed once you enter the room. This entire room features many pieces from Joaquim Mir, and it is an encapsulating part of the experience.
Seeing this painting immerses you into seeing this wonderful world of pinks, blues, greens and oranges. Everything is so magical. Everything is so peaceful and calm.
So next time you book a trip to Barcelona, make that journey out to Montserrat. Immerse yourself into these marvelous art pieces that mirror life. You will be so glad you did.
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