Photograph of the Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat at the base of a rocky escarpment in Montserratat. In the foreground, on the left, is a narrow road that follows the contours of the mountain. 

Montserrat, which means serrated mountain, has been a spiritual base for hundreds of years. In a sanctuary alongside the abbey is located the Virgin of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia who is believed to have been resident in the rocky outcrops since the 8th century when originally placed there for safe keeping during the Moorish invasion of Catalonia.