MONASTERIO DE SANTA CECILIA DE MONTSERRAT

The monastery of Santa Cecilia de Montserrat, which should not be confused with that of Santa María, founded in the 11th century not many kilometers away, was on a small landing on the northern slope of the Montserrat mountain, within the municipal area of Marganell.

The first years of this monastery, unfortunately, are quite confusing, especially due to the presence of some forgeries later that do not allow the succession of events to be clearly followed. However, it seems beyond doubt that we can trace its foundation back to at least the year 944, when Abbot Cesari, together with four other monks, settled in the church of Santa Cecília, which he himself had purchased shortly before, and requested Countess Riquilda of Barcelona to intercede with her husband, Count Sunyer, to authorize the establishment of a monastery in that place. Thus, although the counts of Barcelona participated very actively in its endowment and subsequent promotion, everything indicates that we are dealing with a particular foundation of Cesari, since this character, known for having tried unsuccessfully to be recognized as archbishop of Tarragona, not only erected the monastery and promoted its consecration by the bishop of Vic in the year 957, but also sought confirmation of its assets from King Louis of Ultramar and, most likely, Pope Agapitus II.

Thanks to the efforts of Cesari and the support given by the county family, which should be added to that of many other individuals, the monastery of Santa Cecilia de Montserrat reached the 11th century at a time of splendor. However, its subsequent evolution was not easy, especially due to the interference of the bishops of Vic and other surrounding abbeys, including Santa María de Montserrat. All this ended up leading to its definitive exclaustration in the year 1539, when it became a secular parish.

The old monastery of Santa Cecilia de Montserrat has undergone important transformations throughout its history, since, starting in the 16th century, the entire complex was renovated to adapt it to its new function as a parish church. Furthermore, during the 19th and 20th centuries, it underwent two important reconstruction projects, the first led by Francesc de Paula del Villar and the second by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, which make the identification of its different construction phases very difficult. By Therefore, despite the Romanesque appearance of the entire complex, not all the elements can be traced back to this moment and there is a notable debate about the dating that should be given to the original structure .

The oldest elements of Santa Cecilia de Montserrat are preserved in the church, where there are several walls with archaic characteristics that could correspond to the original temple, which, unlike the current one, which was cut down to a basilica shape, would have been of a plan of latin cross Likewise, at an archaeological level, an earth and lime pavement has been documented, used to regularize the bedrock, which could correspond to that phase. The problem is that this seems to function in a unitary manner with the main apse and the southern apse of the complex, which, due to their characteristic Lombard decorations, can hardly be placed before the 11th century. Consequently, there is a lively debate about whether the described phase would be part of the original building, begun in the 10th century and completed in the following century, or if it would be the result of a complete renovation of the building in that century that erased all traces of the previous temple. .

Taking this debate into account, the only elements that can be placed without a doubt in the 10th century are two epigraphic fragments that correspond to the founding of the monastery and its promotion by the counts Sunyer and Riquilda of Barcelona.

Xavier Costa Badía for URBS REGIA

Ramon d’Abadal, «El pseudo-arquebisbe de Tarragona Cesari i les preteses butlles de Santa Cecília», La Paraula Cristiana, 34 (1927), 316-346
Xavier Costa Badia, Paisatges monàstics. El monacat alt-medieval als comtats catalans (segles IX-X) (Barcelona: Tesi doctoral inèdita dipositada a la Universitat de Barcelona, 2019), p. 290-292.
Jonathan Jarrett, «Archbishop Ató of Osona. False metropolitans on the Marca Hispanica», Archiv für Diplomatik, 56 (2010), 1-42.
Josep M. Martí Bonet, «Las pretensiones metropolitanas de Cesáreo, abad de Santa Cecilia de Montserrat», Anthologica Annua, 21 (1974), 157-182.
Ramón Martí Castelló, «Delà, Cesari i Ató, primers arquebisbes dels comtes-prínceps de Barcelona (951-953/981)», Analecta Sacra Tarraconensia, 67.1 (1994), 369-386.
Eduard Sánchez Campoy, «Santa Cecília de Montserrat: síntesi dels resultats de la investigació arqueològica)», en Actes de les IV Jornades d’Arqueologia de la Catalunya Central (Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya, 2019).

Santa Cecilia de Monserrat

Monasterio de Santa Cecília de Montserrat