Montserrat celebrates millennium of history with Rome exhibition

Montserrat commemorated its thousand years of history on Friday in Rome, highlighting the enduring relevance of Benedictine values for society today.

Catalan President Salvador Illa joined the Abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, at the opening of a traveling exhibition called 'Montserrat, a Millennium: A Benedictine Contribution to the Building of Europe,' which will be on display at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in the Italian capital until October 14.

The monastery, Gasch said, is "an example of fidelity to a way of understanding life and a language," adding that Montserrat will continue to support Catalonia and the Catalan language as it always has.

Illa, on a three-day official trip to Rome and the Vatican, said that "Catalonia would not be the same without Montserrat." 

"It is a symbol of the country's open, inclusive identity, and a deeply universal expression of Catalan identity."

Presented in Italian, the exhibition incorporates digital and multimedia formats to highlight the Benedictine values that have made Montserrat a living example of European spiritual and cultural development.

The official opening ceremony included the Escolania de Montserrat boys' choir performing several pieces, concluding the event with the traditional hymn El Virolai.