In Search of the Black Madonna
Encounters with the Divine Feminine
A Pilgrimage to Northern Spain
May 14-27, 2018
Itinerary
Candle grotto at Montserrat
This 14-day pilgrimage begins and ends in Barcelona. While there, we will visit the Romanesque collection at the Catalonian National Art and History Museum to get an overview of our subject and the region; we will also see several Black Madonnas in the museum. We’ll visit several interesting sites in Barcelona before traveling to Montserrat, a beautiful and significant Black Madonna site located in a stunning Benedictine Abby on a mountainside jutting out of a flat plain. IIn central Catalonia, we will visit Solsona, St. Llorenc de Morunys and the Sanctuary of Lord. In the Pyrenees, we’ll see Puigcerda, Dorres, and Err. Several of these are noted for their locations in nature, mountain wilderness even. A special excursion will take us to the sanctuary in Vall de Nuria. We’ll visit an important site in Olot, and spend time in nature to feel and work with the special energies of these places.
Abbreviated Itinerary
Black Madonna at Dorres
May 11-14 – Pre-Conference Workshop in Barcelona
May 14-16 – Black Madonna Pilgrimage, begins in Barcelona at 2 pm, at Hotel Colon on the edge of Barri Gotic district, 2 nights
May 16-19 – Montserrat, a retreat center in the mountains near Barcelona, 3 nights
May 19-22 – Solsona, in this central Catalonian city’s Old Town, near 3 Black Madonna sites, 3 nights
May 22-25- Puigcerda, in the high mountain valley of the Pyrenees, the Cerdanya, near 3 Black Madonna sites, 3 nights
May 25-27 – Grevol/Olot, in the countryside, 2 nights
May 27 – Program ends at 4 pm at Hotel Colon in Barcelona
Black Madonna sites we intend to visit include:
Our Lady of Montserrat in Montserrat, the Patron of Catalonia
Mother of God of the Cloister in Solsona, central Catalonia
Mother of God of the Mountain Pass in Sant Llorenc de Morunys, a small sweet village near Solsona
Mother of God of Lord (Catalan for Garden) at the Sanctuary of Lord, on top of a mountain with an incredible atmosphere
Mother of God of the Milk in Puigcerda, a small village in the Pyrenees
Notre Dame de Belloch in Dorres (across the border in France) with its nearby healing waters
Notre Dame d’Err
Participants in Err, May 2017
in Err (France) in a small chapel in the countryside
Puigcerda, Dorres, and Err are in the Pyrenees in a beautiful high moulntain valley called the Cerdanya.
Our Lady of Nuria via a special trip on a scenic mountain rack railway to the Vall de Nuria
The Mother of God of the Bull in Olot
This itinerary includes moving through 5 hotels and 9 Black Madonna sites in 14 days and a lot of walking. There is one semi-serious hike: a 15-20-30 minute (depending on fitness), steep uphill walk to a most rewarding small chapel alone on a remote mountain top. The only way to get there is to walk. If any of our participants cannot make this hike, an alternate activity will be provided. We recommend a regular walking practice, if you do not already have one, as part of your preparations for this journey.
Please note that despite our best planning, sometimes sites are not available or other changes must be made to the itinerary. Please join us with a spirit of adventure and please be flexible if changes must be made.