Monestir de Montserrat, Benedictine monastery on Montserrat Mountain, Catalonia, Spain.
The monastery sits at 4,055 feet (1,236 meters) on jagged pink conglomerate rock formations, housing about one hundred Benedictine monks dedicated to prayer and spiritual life.
Founded in 1025 by Abbot Oliba of Ripoll, the monastery was destroyed by Napoleon's forces in 1811 and 1812, then rebuilt starting in 1858 after years of abandonment.
The basilica houses La Moreneta, a twelfth-century carved Black Madonna statue, and hosts daily performances by La Escolania, one of Europe's oldest boys' choirs singing Gregorian chants.
Visitors can reach the monastery by rack railway or cable car from Monistrol, with two funiculars providing access to Santa Cova Chapel and the mountain's upper slopes.
A monk from this monastery, Bernal Boil, traveled with Christopher Columbus in 1493, spreading devotion to the Virgin Mary and inspiring the naming of the Caribbean island nation.
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