Montserrat — Historia de la Virgen Moreneta
Montserrat, Barcelona, Spain · 9th century
La Virgen de Montserrat, conocida como la «Moreneta,» es la patrona de Cataluña y una de las advocaciones marianas más antiguas y veneradas de España. Su imagen, una escultura románica del siglo XII, ha sido testigo de más de mil años de historia.
The legend of the apparition
According to tradition, in 880, some herding children saw a bright light in a cave in Montserrat mountain. As they approached, they found a wooden image of the Virgin Mary. The news spread quickly, and the people came to venerate the image.
The inhabitants tried to move the image to the city of Barcelona, but the car stopped and no longer moved. They interpreted this as a sign that the Virgin wanted to stay on the mountain, so they built a small chapel in the place.
«La Virgen eligió Montserrat como su morada. Aquí ella quiere ser encontrada por sus hijos.»
- Tradition of MontserratThe monastery
The monastery of Montserrat was founded in 1025 by Count Oliba, a Catalan noble who became a Benedictine monk. The Benedictine monks have since guarded the image of the Virgin, maintaining an uninterrupted community of prayer for more than a thousand years.
The monastery has suffered multiple destruction throughout history: by the Saracens (886, 988), by the Napoleonic troops (1812) and by the Spanish Civil War (1936). Each time it has been rebuilt, as a symbol of the resistance of faith.
La Moreneta
La imagen de la Virgen de Montserrat, conocida como la «Moreneta» por el oscurecimiento de su rostro, es una escultura de madera de cedro, de 95 centímetros de altura. La Virgen está sentada, con el Niño Jesús en su regazo. Ambos tienen los rostros oscurecidos, de ahí el apodo de «Moreneta.»
The image has two distinctive elements: the right hand of the Virgin, which holds a golden sphere (the orb), and the left hand, which invites her to touch it. The faithful touch the sphere with their right hand as they pray, as a gesture of faith and alliance with the Virgin.
«La Moreneta es la madre de Cataluña. En ella encontramos la fuerza para resistir y la esperanza para levantarnos.»
- San Ignacio de LoyolaDevotion
La devoción a la Virgen de Montserrat es una de las más profundas de España. Los catalanes la llaman cariñosamente «La Moreneta» y la consideran su madre espiritual. La fiesta de la Virgen de Montserrat se celebra el 27 de abril, y es feriado en Cataluña.
The Montserrat mountain, with its unique rock formations, has been a place of pilgrimage for over a thousand years. Every year, more than two million pilgrims come to veneration the Moreneta.