At the cathedral of the monastery of Montserrat, 05/19/2019
After the performance of the boys' choir, I looked at the famous black Virgin Mary and Jesus hanging from the ceiling in the ornate cathedral of the monastery. It was beautiful, but I felt emptiness. The Virgin Mary and Jesus were not nobles. In this world without them, the icons of christianity that the religious system made had become the noblest among nobles. The power of the institutional church is powerful enough to build magnificent and splendidly decorated buildings even on such a high mountain. The cave where the Black Virgin Mary was discovered over1200 years ago is located on a mountainside just 20 minutes away from here. Here, at the Santa Cueva de Montserrat, could I feel stronger spirituality than does at the cathedral. For some reason, the Black Virgin Mary seems to miss this place even more.
The first two at the cathedral, Second two at the Santa Cueva de Montserrat
While everyone can wait for long time in line at the cathedral to touch and make a wish to the real Virgin Mary, people who visit this small church of cave that preserves the trace when the Black Virgin Mary was discovered prays for a long time. I also stayed for a long time to enjoy the atmosphere of over 1,200 years of Christianity. Not many people seems to come here.