Santa Cueva de Montserrat facts for kids
The Santa Cova de Montserrat (which means Holy Cave of Montserrat in Catalan) is a special cave on the side of the Montserrat mountain. People believe that a statue of the Virgin Mary (called the Virgin of Montserrat) was hidden here long ago during times when people from North Africa, known as the Moors, invaded the area. Later, in the year 880, shepherds found the statue. This discovery made Montserrat a very important place for people to visit on religious journeys, and it led to the building of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey.
To reach the Santa Cova, you walk along a path called the Camí de la Santa Cova (Path of the Holy Cave). This path was carved right into the mountain's edge between 1691 and 1704. A wealthy noblewoman named Gertrudis de Camporrell, who was a marquess (a type of noble), paid for its construction. Later, from 1896 to 1916, many beautiful sculptures were added along the path. These sculptures represent parts of the rosary prayer and the 15 mysteries of the Virgin Mary. Famous artists, including Antoni Gaudí and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who were part of the Modernisme art style, created some of these artworks.
Contents
The Legend of the Holy Cave
How the Virgin Mary Statue Was Found
According to an old story, one Saturday evening in 880, two young shepherds saw a bright light coming down from the sky. It landed halfway up the Montserrat mountain. They also heard beautiful music. The next week, they brought their parents, and everyone saw the same amazing sight again.
The light and music kept appearing for several weeks. Even when the boys brought the local priest, called the rector of Olesa de Montserrat, he saw it too. The priest then told the Bishop of Manresa. They searched and found a cave with the statue of the Virgin Mary. When people tried to carry the statue down the mountain to Manresa, it became too heavy to move. Everyone believed this was a sign from God that the Virgin Mary wanted to stay on Montserrat.
The Chapel at Santa Cova
Building the Holy Cave Chapel
A chapel was built right at the cave between 1696 and 1705. Again, Gertrudis de Camporrell helped by paying for it. This chapel is special because it stands vertically on a very steep slope, which makes its location look even more dramatic.
The chapel is just below the grotto (a small cave) where the original statue was found. It was built in the shape of a Latin cross (like a cross with one longer arm). At the center of the cross shape, there's a small dome with a "lantern" on top. A lantern is a small tower with windows that lets light into the chapel. Since the original statue is at the larger abbey, the altar in this chapel has a copy of the Virgin Mary statue.
Next to the main chapel, there is a small cloister (an open courtyard surrounded by covered walkways). There's also another building with three sections. This building holds an ex-voto (a gift given to thank God or a saint), a sacristy (a room where priests prepare for services), a room for visitors, and a room for the monk who lives there and greets pilgrims.
Damage and Restoration of the Chapel
Over time, the chapel has been damaged many times. During the Peninsular War (from 1811 to 1812), French soldiers attacked and badly damaged both the monastery and the chapel. However, an architect named Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano restored the chapel between 1857 and 1859, as its walls were still standing.
In 1994, a large forest fire destroyed the roofs of all the chapel's connected buildings and the cloister. This caused parts of the chapel to collapse, ruining much of the floor and furniture inside. Things got worse that autumn when heavy rains caused a mudslide, damaging the chapel and the path even more. Repairs started that winter, but another heavy rain in the autumn of 1995 caused the lantern to fall through the dome and into the chapel. Finally, a full restoration was completed in March 1997, and the chapel was reopened for visitors.
See also
In Spanish: Santa Cueva de Montserrat para niños
