Montserrat Pilgrimage

Friday June 13th – Wednesday June 18th 2025

with Iona Jones and Toni Moleti

Montserrat is known as the ‘sacred mountain’ – a magical, otherworldly place located in the heart of Catalonia, Spain. It is a sacred site steeped in mysticism and has drawn millions of pilgrims for centuries.

The mountain is ancient and was formed around 25 million years ago. The name means ‘jagged or serrated mountain’ because of the sharp looking peaks of the mountains. It is energetically strong and has been place of worship since Neolithic times, where it is said that Iberians used to worship nature deities. In Roman times they built a temple dedicated to the Goddess Venus, and today it is home to the magnificent Black Madonna.

According to legend, the Black Madonna appeared in a vision in the cave of Santa Cova in 880 CE. Shepherds saw a great light fall upon the mountain, accompanied by a beautiful song that sung out across the land. A week later the vision came again and continued for several weeks on the same day. People were drawn to the site and were guided to a cave where they found a statue of the Black Madonna. The local Bishop at the time believed it to be a divine sign and decided that she must be worshipped at Montserrat.

Who is the Black Madonna?

The powerful Black Madonna is found in many places across Europe – Spain, Sicily, France, Switzerland, Poland and Turkey. More than 500 images of her are found in cathedrals, churches, monasteries, crypts and other sacred places. To many she represents the Virgin Mary, but it is believed that her roots go back to a much older ancient Goddess. There are many different aspects to her. Some say she is a Dark Goddess and has similar energies to the Indian Goddess, Kali. Others believe she is a Cosmic Mother, Earth Goddess and Mother of Compassion.

During this pilgrimage we will be connecting deeply to the energies of the Black Madonna, and to the Great Mother Goddess. We will be exploring magical places, walking the ancient land, meditating, offering ceremony and opening ourselves up to receive divine wisdom and inspiration.

Pilgrimage

Our pilgrimage will start in Barcelona – a colourful and vibrant city, rich in history, culture and architecture. The first evening we will meet and connect as a group. We will spend the next day exploring some of Gaudi’s most breath-taking work, including the amazing Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlo and more! Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Catalan architect and designer, known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism.

The following day we will travel to Montserrat and have the next three nights there. During this time will visit all of the sites, including the Basilica of Santa Maria of Montserrat, the Black Madonna, Santa Cova and the Chapel of St Michael. We will also go on beautiful hikes up to the top mountain. There are memorising views all around and we will have space to connect more deeply to this ancient land.