Page 158 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

Proposed Accommodations: El Palace

Day 3: The Monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia & Wines of Penedes. We’ve planned a full
day excursion today with private guide and separate driver.
Located just 45 min from Barcelona, the monastery at Montserrat
is the most popular excursion from Barcelona and a highlight for
many. Not only does the site offer religious and historical
significance, but its dramatic position near the top of a rugged,
4,000-foot mountain provides a wonderful setting and affords
great views of the region.

Most notably, the monastery is home to one of the most popular
pilgrimage destinations in Spain: the Shrine of Our Lady of
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Montserrat. Since the 12 century, pilgrims have been drawn to
the mount to venerate the miraculous statute of the Black
Madonna (La Moreneta). The belief is that the statue was carved
by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was hidden from the Moors for hundreds of
years and later re-discovered in 880 AD. Legend has it that shepherds saw a bright light and
heard heavenly music that eventually led them to the statue’s safe-keeping place in a grotto on
Montserrat.

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By the 9 century, there were four chapels on the mountain (one remains) and the order
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established a monastery in the 11 century.
Due to its popularity in the Middle Ages,
the monastery was enlarged and, in 1592,
the Grand Basilica of Montserrat was
consecrated. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII
proclaimed that Black Madonna as the
patron saint of Catalonia. Today, the
monastery is home to approximately 80
monks as well as the 50-member
Escolanía, one of the oldest and most renowned boys' choirs in Europe, dating from the 13th
century. As you’ve requested to visit a winery, we cannot include a choir performance based on
the day’s schedule. Other than visiting the Royal Basilica and the Chapel of the Black Madonna,
you may also wish to take the funicular to visit the grotto where the statue was re-discovered
(this does require a bit of climbing as the funicular doesn’t go all the way).

From Montserrat, travel with your driver approximately 1 hr to the Penedes appellation for a visit
to and tasting at Pares Balta, an exceptional, family-operated producer of a wide range of wines
based on varietals including Syrah and Cabernet, traditional cava grapes including Macabeo and
Parellada and even Chardonnay. Return to El Palace at the end of the day.

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