Monistrol de Montserrat: Historic Centre and Pilgrimage Routes

Monistrol de Montserrat preserves a historic centre with a medieval and Renaissance character. The town was a crossroads of the former Camí Ral from Barcelona to Manresa and the pilgrimage route to Montserrat Abbey.

Culture and Pilgrimage Routes

The Pont Gòtic, also known as Pont dels Pelegruins, is a 14th-century bridge on an important pilgrimage route to the Montserrat mountain range and offers a viewpoint over the river.

The Camí de l’Àngel is a preserved section of the former pilgrimage route, along which medieval pilgrims approached the sanctuary from the Terrassa side.

From Monistrol, the Camí de les Canals i de l’Aigua (GR5/96) is known as the Camí Romeu to Montserrat.

The Drecera dels Tres Quarts begins at the FGC station in Monistrol de Montserrat and is marked with white-and-red GR-96 signs.

The PR-C 19 bears the official white-and-yellow markings for short-distance hiking trails and partly follows the route of the old Camí Ral. It was designed by the Club Muntanyenc Monistrolenc and approved by the Comitè Català de Senders of the Federació d’Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya.

The Ruta Joan Carles Amat is a tourist walking route through places in Monistrol associated with the social activities of Joan Carles Amat. Its six stops are the Plaça de l'Església, the Casa del Consell, the Palau and the Jardins de la Sala, the Plaça de la Font Gran, Carrer Sant Joan and the Plaça del Bo-Bo.

Buildings and Local History

Sant Pere de Monistrol was built during the Renaissance; its foundation stone was laid on 24 June 1569.

Inside Sant Pere de Monistrol are keystones depicting Saint Peter and the coat of arms of Monistrol de Montserrat. One of them shows the oldest depiction of this local coat of arms.

The Palau Prioral is a representative example of Catalan civil Gothic architecture. It was built in the 14th century on the orders of the prior of Montserrat Abbey.

Can Cavaller is a building that was originally Gothic and was extensively altered, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its oratory contains paintings from 1628 that were restored in 1899.

Can Cavaller also includes cellars with stone arcades and brick vaults.

Can Gibert dates from the late 18th century and was built over a structure whose origins date back to the 15th century.

Carrer Sant Joan offers a walk through the prosperous Monistrol of the 16th and 17th centuries. The manor houses highlighted there include Can Cavaller and Can Gibert. Can Gibert was restored as a social centre and exhibition hall and houses a former oil mill.

Near Can Gibert there is a street vault incorporating reused materials from the former Palau Prioral, including a Gothic window.

In the area around Can Gibert are old stone buildings that housed oil and grain mills.

Fountains, Festivals and Markets

La Font Gran is the most important spring in the groundwater system of the Montserrat massif and traditionally supplied the Hivernal and Maians gardens with drinking and irrigation water.

The Ball del Bo-Bo is part of the Festa de Sant Sebastià. On 20 January, a procession and a dance in the Plaça del Bo-Bo are part of the festivities.

The Fira de la Coca i el Mató includes a market for food as well as handicraft and manufactured products.

Railways and Station History

At Monistrol-Aeri station, there is a connection to the cable car to Montserrat Abbey.

At Monistrol-Enllaç station, there is a connection to the rack railway to Montserrat Abbey.

The Museu del cremallera is located in the building of the former rack railway station, which operated from 1892 to 1957, within the grounds of the present-day station.

A Challenging Route

Ruta 1 from Monistrol de Montserrat to Monistrol de Montserrat starts in Monistrol de Montserrat, reaches a maximum elevation of 994 metres and includes 160 metres of ascent, with an elevation change of +940 and −940 metres respectively. It is classified as difficult and takes 6 hours and 31 minutes.

Other Places

Other places include La Ràpita, Vilanova del Vallès, Seva, Sant Pere De Vilamajor, Granera, Masquefa, Les Masies De Voltregà and Esparreguera.

To the higher-level travel overview: Barcelona.