In 1025 Abbot Oliba founded the Monastery of Montserrat, located about 18 miles from Barcelona, next to a hermitage dedicated to the Virgin. Already in the 14th century, the abbey and shrine, located in an environment of singular natural beauty, was a point of pilgrimage. Nowadays it is a religious and cultural center in Catalonia.
This year, the abbey of Montserrat has officially inaugurated the year-long celebration of its first millennium. It began with a ceremony attended by representatives of the civil and ecclesiastical society of Catalonia, as well as several abbots from monasteries of the Subiaco-Casinese Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict, to which Montserrat belongs.
Tradition and modernity
The inauguration of its thousandth anniversary festivities, which will also coincide with the Jubilee 2025 in Rome, surprised the attendees by uniting the solemnity and tradition of the monastery with the modernity and technology of today.
In fact, during the ceremony held inside the Basilica, the current abbot, Manel Gasch, engaged in a “holographic” conversation with the past and the future. The past was represented by Abbot Oliba, founder of the monastery in 1025, and the future by the hypothetical abbot of the year 3025, both played by actors.
Mary is the center of the sanctuary
In this conversation, the current Abbot recounted how Montserrat is a place visited by thousands of people from all over the world and that “knowing how to welcome them as they deserve is still the essence of a shrine like ours.”
He also added that “Montserrat has always been a nucleus and a focus of culture. A monastery open to knowledge, and open to the world,” while “the image of Mary is the material center of the sanctuary.”
Creation, Mary, and Jesus
Taking advantage of this event, the attendees were also able to enjoy a new projection mapping show inside the Basilica, officially inaugurated on this occasion. This audiovisual is divided into three chapters—Creation, the Virgin Mary, and Christ—that celebrate the natural and supernatural beauty of the shrine, ultimately focused on Christ.
The projection mapping was accompanied by the Virolai, the traditional song dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat, recorded with the choir of the famous Escolania choir and the organ of the Basilica.
Drone choreography
To close the ceremonies, a 10-minute drone show took place outside, referencing the natural setting, the culture, and the history of the abbey.
About 200 drones illuminated the sky and the mountains of Montserrat. Together they represented symbolic figures, which summarized the thousand years of history of the Monastery, and culminated with the image of the “Moreneta,” as the devotees call the abbey’s statue of the Virgin Mary.
Meanwhile, from the balconies of the abbey overlooking the square, the Escolania de Montserrat and the members of the Schola Cantorum accompanied the exhibition with their songs.
Community evangelization
Celebratory events will unfold throughout the next 15 months, governed by the motto “Ora, lege, labora, rege te ipsum in communitate” (“Pray, read, work, govern yourself in community”).
This millennial celebration is not just for the abbey or Barcelona but is one in which everyone is welcome to participate. That spirit is typical of the monastery, which is characterized by its willingness to welcome others and the desire to evangelize as many people as possible.
And today we celebrate...