Montserrat belongs to the mountain range Prelitoral. Monserrat is situated in the central part of Catalonia.
Monserrat is one of the greatest symbols of Catalonia, that from being a religious centre has become a bastion of Catalan identity, without ignoring the natural environment and its characteristic morphology and structure of rounded and abrupt rocks and needles.
Its peculiar appearance, perfectly visible from many miles around in the centre of Catalonia, together with the presence of the monastery where the image of the Moreneta ("black skinned virgin") is worshipped, has made Montserrat an undoubtedly emblematic mountain. Even its origin is object of a legend, sung in the Virolai hymn, which tells that it was the angels who used golden saws to shape the high hills.
The massif is about 10 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide. The Natural Park occupies 3,630 hectares, with almost 2,000 of these hectares as a nature reserve.
The highest peak of Montserrat is Sant Jeroni (1,236 metres), from which the most incredible views of most of Catalonia can be enjoyed, from the Pyrenees to the sea.
Its peculiar appearance, perfectly visible from many miles around in the centre of Catalonia, together with the presence of the monastery where the image of the Moreneta ("black skinned virgin") is worshipped, has made Montserrat an undoubtedly emblematic mountain. Even its origin is object of a legend, sung in the Virolai hymn, which tells that it was the angels who used golden saws to shape the high hills.
The massif is about 10 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide. The Natural Park occupies 3,630 hectares, with almost 2,000 of these hectares as a nature reserve.
The highest peak of Montserrat is Sant Jeroni (1,236 metres), from which the most incredible views of most of Catalonia can be enjoyed, from the Pyrenees to the sea.
Montserrat does not have a particularly rich fauna due to the human presence, which has led to the disappearance of the larger species, accelerated by the fire of 1986. The animal population on Montserrat is typically Mediterranean, with mammals such as wild boar, squirrels, beech marten, common genet, Spanish ibex (which were introduced in 1995), various species of reptile, numerous rock-dwelling birds (such as the swift, crag martin or the warbler) and forest-dwelling birds (thrush, firecrest, pigeons and Orphean warbler).
Apart from the natural interest, the mountain of Montserrat has a large number of places of architectural interest, such as the monastery itself, which is an exceptional centre of pilgrimage in the Catholic world and is located on the eastern part of the massif.