Today it is difficult to imagine the image of the Virgin of Montserrat in a setting other than the sacred mountain, in central Catalonia. But the truth is that in 1823, that is, just 200 years agoThe popular brunette was found neither more nor less than in Barcelona.
In fact, according to a legend collected by the folklorist Joan Amades, the cult of the Virgin of Montserrat did not begin on the mountain, but in Barcelona. More specifically, in the Basilica of Sant Just i Pastor, in the Gothic quarter (Ciutat Vella). According to tradition, it was in this church, one of the oldest in the city, where the image began to be venerated, brought by Saint Peter from Jerusalem.
Continuing with the legend, in the 8th century the carving was transferred to Montserrat to protect it from Muslim invasions. They hid her in a cave, where years later she was rediscovered by some shepherds. In that same place a hermitage would be built, which would later give way to the current monastery.
Legends aside, the truth is that the current size of the Virgin is dated to the twelfth century. It was maintained in Montserrat until the convulsive 18th century, when the monks had to hide it and replace it with a replica on multiple occasions. The first, during the French War, to save it from looting by Napoleonic troops.
During the Liberal Triennium the Virgin was once again forced into exile. After her confiscation decreed in 1820, the Barcelona constitutional authorities ordered her transfer to the capital, to prevent her from falling into royalist hands.
The carving, guarded by three guardians of the sanctuary, arrived in Barcelona on January 6, 1823, being received with great pomp. A delegation of authorities, with the music band and the giants, moved her to the Cathedralfinally being installed in the disappeared church of Sant Miquelnext to the Town Hall.
The Moreneta stayed 17 months in Barcelona. During this period it underwent a restoration, possibly in a workshop at the Portal del Ángel. It is believed that it was then that the figure, already darkened, was given the coat of black paint which he still has. Likewise, the arms and hands of the Virgin were reconstructed, and the figure of the child Jesus was replaced.
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In June 1824, with the restoration of absolutism, the carving was able to return to Montserrat. It was not a definitive return, because the image had to be moved several more times, to protect her from anticlerical fury. This was the case during the riots of 1835, the Tragic Week and the Civil War.
In the basilica of Sant Just i Pastor, the patron saint of Catalonia is still venerated today, following a tradition that began centuries ago. He main altar of the church It is presided over by a replica of the Romanesque carving, attributed to the sculptor Joan Matamala. A replica? Well, there are those who say that this is actually the real Moreneta, who hid in Barcelona during the Civil War. And that the image that is venerated in Montserrat today is, therefore, a copy. Although, most likely, that story has more legend than reality.