!!!Abbey of Montserrat
Photos by Dmitry Moiseenko and
Stanislav Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

13 March 2018

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Spain has the second largest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites,
being left behind only by Italy. It has the internationally recognised
masterpieces of Gaudi, but there are far more outstanding architectural
monuments in this country.

[{Image src='01_Abbey of Montserrat.jpg' caption='Abbey of Montserrat, Spain\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

The Benedictine abbey of Montserrat founded back in the 10th century, is
located 50 kilometres north-west of Barcelona at 1,236 metres above the
nearest valley. This point is called Montserrat meaning "serrated
mountain".

[{Image src='02_Abbey of Montserrat.jpg' caption='Abbey of Montserrat, Spain\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='574'}]

This place has been of religious significance since the times of the
Romans, and later an unusual sculpture, representing the dark-skinned
Madonna and Child,  was found in one of the mountain caves. The legend
says that monks could not move the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat
(also called "Our Lady of Montserrat" and "Black Virgin"), so they
decided to construct their cells and the monastery around it.

[{Image src='03_Abbey of Montserrat.jpg' caption='Abbey of Montserrat, Spain\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='592'}]

When building the complex among peculiar rocks of this valley, the
creators managed to harmoniously inscribe the monastery in the
surrounding landscape. So now it is not only an important religious
centre for pilgrims from all over the world, but it is also an
outstanding architectural, cultural and historical monument. It is worth
noting that Christopher Columbus discovered an island in the Caribbean
Sea and named it after the Virgin of Montserrat. Thousands of women in
Catalonia bear the name Montserrat, including Montserrat Caballé, the
famous Spanish opera singer.

[{Image src='04_Abbey of Montserrat.jpg' caption='Abbey of Montserrat, Spain\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='574'}]

The architectural complex as it stands had been formed by the 12th
century, although the constructions combining different styles were
significantly damaged by the forces of Napoleon. The restoration works
began in 1844 and lasted for almost a hundred years.

[{Image src='05_Abbey of Montserrat.jpg' caption='Abbey of Montserrat, Spain\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='735'}]

Nowadays it is a functioning monastery and a popular tourist
destination. One can reach it by two exotic ways: the Montserrat Rack
Railway and funicular railways.

And now there is one more opportunity to observe the sights of Spain —
the AirPano virtual trip.

\\ \\
[6 panoramas of Abbey of Montserrat|Geography/Europe/Spain/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Abbey_of_Montserrat]

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