Cova del Penitent
Coneguda balma eremítica a Montserrat
EspeleoWorld
Cova del Penitent
Coneguda balma eremítica a Montserrat
Collbató · Baix Llobregat
Length: 4 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-del-penitent-collbato
Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.
Hermitage rock shelter of Montserrat, 18 m wide and about 3.5 m deep, formerly inhabited and mentioned in guides since the beginning of the 20th century.
Topographic
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Photos
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Description
Morphology
Modest rock shelter 18 m wide by a scant 3.5 m maximum depth; the height is around 2 m. The most habitable part is in the central sector. Oriented almost due south, quite sunny and with good views toward Collbató.
Hydrology
The cistern was also rebuilt, an indispensable element for supplying water in one of the driest spots on the mountain.
Progression
From Santa Caterina we will follow a few metres southward and very soon we will see an ascending narrow path (a rope helps us overcome a step without any difficulty). Almost above the rock shelter, the narrow path of the first option reaches us from the right. From now on, the itinerary is common. The path continues little worn and faint over stony terrain; we must be attentive at some point. We will reach a small ridge, which we will follow until we find the cavity below a rise.
History
Mentioned in most of the maps and hiking guides of the mountain of Montserrat since the beginning of the 20th century.
Montserrat tradition says that the rock shelter was inhabited at the end of the 19th century by a French man who withdrew to this spot to do penance there and, perhaps, this fact gave its name to the cavity and to the ridge where it is located. Years later, in an attempt to revive eremitism around the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, some people, especially young monks, inhabited the cavity. The hermitess Maria Creu also did so. It was in these years that the stone walls and the stone and cement bed that we now find were built.
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Bibliography
Valles, Jordi de (2017).-”Baix Llobregat”. Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.6):1-468. Espeleo Club Gràcia/Federació Catalana Espeleologia.
Dades, topografia i fotografies han estat extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Apunt del 3-7-2023. Dades: Ferran Cardona i Carme Bañolas (ECM Barcelonès)
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/