Santa Cova Funicular

The Museum of Montserrat showcases a selection of the most outstanding artistic and archaeological heritage at the thousand-year-old Abbey of Montserrat. The museum contains six very different collections. More than 1300 pieces are exhibited in the museum, embracing a vast chronological period.

Montserrat (Catalan pronunciation: [munsəˈrat]) is a multi-peaked mountain range near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1,120 m) and Les Agulles (903 m).It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary. The stone from the mountain is also used for the construction of Sagrada Familia, though recently, the stone began to become more fragile the deeper they quarried, so an alternative source had to be found to complete the construction. In 2018, the stone type needed for the construction was found in a quarry in Brinscall, near Chorley, England. "Montserrat" literally means "serrated (like the common handsaw) mountain" in Catalan. It describes its peculiar aspect with a multitude of rock formations that are visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock. Montserrat was designated as a National Park in 1987. The Monastery of Montserrat which houses the virgin that gives its name to the monastery is also on the mountain, although it is also known as La Moreneta ("the little tan/dark one" in Catalan).

Santa María de Montserrat (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsantə məˈɾi.ə ðə munsəˈrat]) is an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict located on the mountain of Montserrat in Monistrol de Montserrat, Barcelona, Spain. It is notable for enshrining the image of the Virgin of Montserrat. The monastery was founded in the 11th century and rebuilt between the 19th and 20th centuries, and still functions to this day, with over 70 monks. There have always been roughly 80 monks in residence.

The Santa Cova de Montserrat (in Catalan; English: Holy Cave of Montserrat) is the hillside cave on Montserrat where the Virgin of Montserrat was traditionally hidden during the Moorish invasions and later discovered by shepherds in 880. Its discovery made Montserrat into a pilgrimage destination, and led to the founding of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. The sanctuary of the Santa Cova is accessed by a path, called the Camí de la Santa Cova, carved along the ridge of the mountain. It was built between 1691 and 1704, thanks to the patronage of Gertrudis de Camporrell, marquess of Tamarit. Between 1896 and 1916, a series of sculptures were placed along the camí, dedicated to the rosary and the 15 mysteries of the Virgin, including works by Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and other modernista artists.

The Sant Joan Funicular (Catalan: Funicular de Sant Joan; Spanish: Funicular de San Juan) is a funicular railway at Montserrat, near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects the monastery, and the upper terminus of the Montserrat Rack Railway, with sacred sites, walking trails and viewpoints higher up the mountain. With a maximum gradient of 65 %, it is the steepest funicular in Spain.

The Aeri de Montserrat (Catalan pronunciation: [əˈɛɾi ðə munsəˈrat]) is an aerial cable car which provides one of the means of access to the Montserrat mountain and abbey. It can be found 1 hour from the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Travelers using the cable car should take note of its operating hours to avoid being stranded on the mountain, as it is operated by a separate company than the rack railroad and funiculars, and is not coordinated with them. The line runs from the monastery to the station of Montserrat-Aeri, on the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) line from Barcelona-Plaça d'Espanya station to Manresa. The FGC operates the Montserrat Rack Railway, which provides an alternative access to the mountain and abbey, and two funicular railways on the mountain, the Funicular de Sant Joan and the Funicular de Santa Cova.

Monistrol de Montserrat (Catalan pronunciation: [munisˈtɾɔl də munsəˈrat]) is a municipality in the comarca of the Bages in Catalonia, Spain. The municipality includes the southern two-thirds of the massif of Montserrat and the famous Benedictine monastery of the same name. The town, known as Montserrat-Vila, is situated on the eastern flank of the massif above the valley of the Llobregat river: it is connected with the monastery (higher up) and with the railway station in the valley (FGC line R5) by the Montserrat Rack Railway (Cremallera de Montserrat). The C-1411 road links the town with Martorell and Manresa. The bridge over the Llobregat river dates from the fourteenth century. The municipality includes a small exclave to the north-west.

The Montserrat Rack Railway (Spanish and Catalan: Cremallera de Montserrat, IPA: [kɾəməˈʎeɾə ðə munsəˈrat]) is a mountain railway line north-west of Barcelona in Catalonia. The line runs from Monistrol de Montserrat to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat.The line is 5 km (3.1 mi) long and has a rail gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in). The first 1 km (0.6 mi) of the line, between Monistrol and the only intermediate station at Monistrol Vila, is operated by conventional adhesion. The remainder of the line is operated as a rack railway using the Abt system, overcoming a height difference of 550 m (1,804 ft) with a maximum gradient of 15.6%. The line is electrified with an overhead supply at 1500 V DC.The line is operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC).

Collbató (Catalan pronunciation: [ˌkɔʎβəˈto]) is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the southern slopes of Montserrat. The area has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC, as shown by Neolithic remains found in caves above the village (on display at the museum at the monastery of Montserrat). Although agriculture (olives, grapes and almonds) is the major economic activity, the village is also home to a workshop for the manufacture of organs.

Santa Cecília de Montserrat is a Benedictine monastery in Marganell, Catalonia, Spain.

Sant Jeroni (el Bruc) is a mountain of Catalonia, Spain. It has an elevation of 1,236 metres above sea level.

Castellbell i el Vilar (Castellbell y Vilar in Spanish) is a municipality in the comarca of the Bages in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated at the point where the Llobregat river crosses the Prelittoral Range. The railway station serves both the FGC line R5 between Barcelona and Manresa and the Renfe line between Barcelona and Zaragoza. The C-1411 road links the municipality with Martorell and Manresa. Castellbell i el Vilar is known for its cotton industry, although agriculture is at least as important to the local economy. Castellbell castle (gothic, fourteenth century) was one of the two main points (along with Claramunt castle) controlling access to the lower Llobregat valley, and hence to Barcelona. The bridge over the Llobregat also dates from the fourteenth century.