About thirty students from the UIC Barcelona Faculty of Humanities, accompanied by their teachers, visited the Montserrat monastery to commemorate a thousand years since its foundation, in 1025. This visit took place within the framework of the Humanities Cross-Disciplinary Workshop that the Faculty organises every year to encourage the whole University to explore a humanistic or cultural theme in depth. This year, the subject was marked by the anniversary of one of the most emblematic symbols of Catalan culture.

During the visit to the abbey on 20 January, the students were able to tour the Museum of Montserrat and enjoy the temporary exhibition dedicated to the celebration of the millennium, as well as the immersive room: an innovative space that delves into the history and spirit of the monastery. Visitors also explored the art gallery, which houses masterpieces by great painters such as Ramon Casas, Rusiñol, Fortuny and Caravaggio, to name but a few. They were also able to appreciate an Egyptian mummy, Mesopotamian seals and other valuable historical items in the museum.

“The most memorable moment of the day came with the guided tour by Father Bernat, who showed us the most significant corners of the monastery, such as the cloister designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and the library, which houses over 400,000 books and documents”, explains Dr Judith Urbano, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Afterwards, the students had the chance to visit the Chapter House, a place of great tradition where a chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict, the code of monastic life, is read every day.

The day ended with a visit to the church, where the students could enjoy listening to the Boys' Choir singing.

The Humanities Cross-Disciplinary Workshop is a UIC Barcelona initiative that aims to promote interdisciplinary knowledge among all University faculties and the connection between history, culture and current society.