Coves Roges

With its 87 m width we are before the largest rock shelter in Montserrat. The cova de l'Arcada, the second largest, is 74 m wide. It is not very deep, for the most part it stays around 6-10 m, reaching a maximum of 13 m around “la Cambra”.

The most notable characteristic is that in the central sector its ceiling rises to more than 40 m, generating a cavity within the cavity, the “Cova Roja”. Because of its dimensions this one is clearly visible from afar in the landscape, standing out for the reddish colouring of its rock, a characteristic that has given the cavity its name. In general, the whole cavity, including its floor and the blocks, has a certain reddish tone. On either side of the “Cova Roja” there develop sheltered spaces with variable heights. On the south side we find flat, horizontal ceilings in which different climbing routes have been opened.

The entire floor of the cavity is occupied by blocks, some of good size and between which galleries of a few metres in length are formed. The presence of these blocks, together with the slope of the floor, means that the cavity is not very easy to move through. Only at the north end does the topography soften. It is here that we find “la Cambra”, the only flat and habitable corner of the cave. In it we can see the ceiling blackened by fire having been made there, and its eroded state indicates to us that this was a long time ago, an observation reinforced by the fact of finding layers of ash beneath the clay that forms the floor of “la Cambra”.

Spectacular and well-known Montserrat rock shelter in the Frares Encantats area.