Rosa d’abril.
Text and Photo © CM Cordeiro 2012
Mare de Déu de Montserrat or Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat, is a Romanesque sculpture in wood from the late 12th century. The hym to the Virgin of Montserrat begins with the words “Rosa d’abril, Morena de la serra…”, “April rose, dusky lady of the mountain chain”. It is for this reason that the Virgin is also known as “Rosa d’abril”. In her hand, she holds the globe of the world.
Montserrat literally means serrated mountain in Catalan and describes in particular, this aspect of (pink sedimentary) rock formation that is visible at great distance, of the mountain. This is part of the Catalan pre-coastal range and is identified by some as the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth.