One of the most curious anecdotes of the Monastery of Montserrat took place in 1940 and was the visit of one of the heads of Nazi Germany, specifically none other than the head of the feared SS Heinrich Himmler.
Up to this point the thing is already quite striking. Namely, what is one of the highest officials of the Nazi regime doing in a region with which (a priori) has no relation whatsoever. Or more specifically, what is he doing in a destination as precise as Montserrat (although it is true that when he was in Spain, Himmler also visited other places such as Toledo or Madrid). But the strangest part of this story is not who, not where, not when, but why. What was Hitler’s second in command doing in the Monastery of Montserrat? Well, nothing more and nothing less than looking for the Holy Grail.
The SS had an occult section called Ahnenerbe and whose objective was nothing more nor less than to investigate the origin of the Aryan race, which included looking for relics (some more real than others) of the religion. In fact, Hitler came to have in his possession the alleged spear with which Jesus was pierced on the Cross, which according to legend would give the fate of the world to the hands that possessed it.
The Holy Grail, hidden in Montserrat?
With these intentions, then, Himmler went to Montserrat, where he was received by Father Ripol. According to some theories, the Holy Grail, the chalice used in the Last Supper, could be hidden in Montserrat. This idea was inspired by the Arthurian legends and the book Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, which mentions Montsalvat, a place that some identified with Montserrat.
Apparently, the Nazis gave credibility to the theory that Joseph of Arimathea took the chalice of Christ’s Last Supper to Europe and hid it in the south of France. There the Germans unsuccessfully searched for it, convinced that they would find it in the small Gallic village of Montségur. Due to the proximity and the belief that in Montségur there were tunnels and secret passages, the Nazi leader headed for the monastery to find his treasure.
There he asked to see all the documents related to the Holy Grail, but legend has it that the monks did not welcome him with enthusiasm and even tried to divert his questions and research attempts, to the point that Himmler ended up leaving the monastery in a huff (and without the Holy Grail).
Legend has it that Himmler did not want to kiss La Moreneta either, so he ended up leaving without further consequences and, clearly, without finding what he was looking for.