In Catalonia, Benedictine monks from Montserrat Abbey planned for the possibility of exile to Andorra during the 1920s and 1930s, according to Father Bernat Juliol, the abbey’s sub-prior and steward.
Father Juliol said the monks saw Andorra as a possible refuge if they had to leave Montserrat. The plan was developed during a period of political unrest in Spain and Catalonia, when religious communities were weighing how to protect their future.
Abbot Antoni Maria Marcet led the community at the time and was central to the contingency planning. If the monks were forced to abandon the monastery, they would manage their dispersal from the small Pyrenean country.
The plan did not end up being carried out as imagined, but its existence shows how seriously the Montserrat community prepared for disruption. It also adds to the historical record of how religious institutions in Catalonia responded to instability in the early 20th century.
For more Catalonia news and background, see our news coverage. For context on Montserrat Abbey, the official Montserrat site provides visitor and heritage information, while the Benedictine Confederation offers background on the order.