With marbled floors and art nouveau–style frescoes visible between graceful archways, the open courtyard fronting Montserrat's basilica immediately sets an impressive tone. The basilica itself, consecrated in 1592, has a brick facade featuring carvings of Christ and the 12 Apostles, dating to the early 20th century. Beyond its heavy doors, the interior glitters with white marble and gold in Renaissance and Catalan Gothic styles.
The stairs to the narrow Cambril de la Mare de Déu, housing La Moreneta, are to the right of the main basilica entrance. The room on the west side of the courtyard from the basilica entrance is filled with offbeat ex-voto gifts and thank-you messages to the Virgin, while the alley you wander down after exiting the Cambril is alight with flickering candles.