There are many legends of Montserrat, a mountain very characteristic and well known in Catalonia. Each one more mysterious, these legends of Montserrat have been transmitted orally and written. Here you will find the best known legends of this mountain and with them you will enter in the mysteries that awaits the mountain of Montserrat.
Legend of Moreneta
According to legend, in the year 880, on a Saturday afternoon, pastors saw a strong light descend from the sky, accompanied by a beautiful melody. The following Saturday, the vision was repeated. The following four Saturdays were accompanied by the rector of Olesa de Montserrat who could record this vision.
The bishop of Manresa, upon learning of the news, organized a visit during which they found the Holy Cave in which the Holy Virgin, known as the Moreneta, was found. Bishop Vila proposed to move the image to Manresa but, when trying to move it, it was so heavy that they could not move it. The bishop interpreted this phenomenon as the desire of the Virgin to stay in that place and ordered to construct a chapel, that became a center of pilgrimage.
Legend of Grial
The Reich had several obsessions, two of which were Arthur and Hitler’s belief in being a new messiah, this can be read in Mein Kampf: “I believe in the duty to act in the sense of the Almighty Creator: in combating the Jews do the work of the Lord.” If we join these two obsessions, we quickly find the greatest of the Führer: get the Holy Grail. He entrusted that mission to his trusted man, Himmler.
At first they looked for the chalice with the Christ toast at the last supper. Then, they considered the possibility that the Holy Grail was actually the Royal Sang, the offspring Mary Magdalene had raised in the south of France. Hitler saw himself as a descendant of this lineage. All these beliefs led Himmler to Montserrat.
As we have said, Himmler appeared at the door on October 23, 1940. When they opened him, no one understood what this rough man wanted, so they called the only one in the Monastery who spoke German: the Benedictine monk Andreu Ripoll. Himmler asked him (rather, he ordered) to take him to the library and search for all the information they had about Perceval (Arthur’s knight in charge of looking for the Grail and who did not give up even when the crusades were lost) and the Grail. It was spent in that library hours. The monk came to have a dialectical confrontation with Him by Himmler’s claim that Jesus was Aryan and the Catholics had concealed it.
Despite considering Himmler an unpleasant character, they let him stay as long as he thought necessary. Of course, once this one left in search of the Grail they let Franco know his discomfort and asked (through the captain-general of Catalonia) to try to avoid the visit of such unpleasant characters.
Legend of Cavall Bernat
Another of Montserrat’s best-known legends is one of the most emblematic peaks of the entire Montserrat massif: the Cavall Bernat. According to the legend, a lumberman who was to transport bundles of wood to the Llobregat, the devil presented himself to him and lent him a horse named Bernat, quick as lightning, to assist him in such arduous work. “Cavall Bernat, Cavall Bernat, lowers the fill to the Llobregat” (Bernat horse, Bernat horse, low wood to the Llobregat) it is said that the woodcutter told the horse.
But he who makes covenants with the devil has something to give in return … The condition that was imposed by the devil was that, after ten years, the woodcutter had to provide him with another horse of similar characteristics.
The woodcutter, still telling the legend, became rich with the help of Cavall Bernat, but on the day of his tenth birthday the devil reminded him of the promise that the woodcutter had already forgotten. At this, the woodcutter’s wife began to pray to the Virgin and a glowing light illuminated the whole enclosure. After this, both the devil and the Cavall Bernat had disappeared, and instead a huge stone was pointing up at the sky.
Legend of Timbaler del Bruc
The historical fact of which it leaves this well-known legend is the defeat of the French troops directed by the General Schwartz the 6 and the 14 of June of 1808 in front of the troops of the somatenes of the neighboring towns and regular soldiers. It was the first defeat suffered by the French troops.
Legend has it that the people armed themselves with spears, stones and sticks, and a village boy who always went with his drum asked what he could do. The men of the village told him not to do anything and stay home. The men who knew all the corners and hiding places, could with a first attack of the French, who were preparing but to return with more force and more number of soldiers.
Annoyed went home and began to play the drum to see if it calmed, but on the contrary was still raging more. So he took his drum and made his way to the mountains of Montserrat. When he arrives he sees from the mountains as the French approach and the boy exclaims: “Oh mother!”, And hears that the mountains return their sound. Then he peals his drum and the mountains again with their echo echo the sound of his prized drum.
Then the boy saw it clearly, what he had to do was to play louder and louder to make the French believe that there were thousands of drums on the mountain of Montserrat. His plan worked, the French on hearing such a noise were frightened believing that they would face thousands of men and fled by legs. The whole town realized the feat of the drum boy and over the years a statue was made to remind this little hero.
It is said that the real story is about a young man born in Santpedor, Isidro Llussá, who rested at the foot of some rocks, along with his companions. The fall of some stones made his drum sound. This fact made them suspect the presence of French and quickly could surprise them by the rear. The French troops, headed for Manresa, quickly left the mountain, surprised by the presence of the Catalans and, above all, by the sound of the timpani touched by Isidro and amplified by the echo of the mountain.
Legend of UFOs
Various testimonies, including multitudinous ones like that of many citizens of Manresa in the year 1345, claim to have seen lights in the airspace of Montserrat. In the 70’s there were those who reported being abducted by extraterrestrials and later said that they have their monthly meeting there on the 11th, and even more so if it is Tuesday 11. There are usually a large number of visitors that go To pray, to meditate, to sing, to dance or simply to walk on such a special date.
Also it is possible to emphasize that if you find a group of people, surely they will be meetings dedicated to the UFOs, with people who likes the mysteries and expect to see the appearance of these while they talk about related subjects.
Of Montserrat, apart from its many charms, it is a place worth visiting for many other reasons: Highlights, apart from the Basilica, the Monastery, the Museum and the old Gothic cloister.
In Catalonia there is an old proverb that reads: “Who does not marry in Montserrat is not well married.”. What is certain is that, to get married there is a date And hour with much time in advance.
After reading these legends of Montserrat Are you curious to know these corners closely?