Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat (Spain). Click on photo to enlarge.

Montserrat is a mountain situated about a 1-hour train ride from Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. Named after the Caribbean island of Montserrat it houses the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat. When I visited the basilica there I learned that it is also home to the Virgin of Montserrat, the Black Madonna, which draws large crowds to the monastery. My husband and I took in a performance of the Montserrat Boy’s Choir during our visit and then rode the Funicular de Sant Joan to the mountain’s upper slopes to take this shot looking back down at the monastery, nestled into the side of the mountain. From both the monastery and the mountain’s summit we were able to take in some spectacular views of Catalonia.