We made another day trip, to San Millán de la Cogolla,1 to see the Monastery of Yuso. Together with the nearby Monastery of Suso the two monasteries form a World Heritage Site.
Read more: San Millan de la CogollaThe drive
A brief history
The Monastery of Suso (which means ‘upper’) dates from the 6th century. This monastery is important because it is the first evidence of Basque and Castilian words appearing together. The original community here were hermits. It can be visited today, but only by appointment.
The Monastery of Yuso (‘lower’) was founded in the 11th century, although the current buildings date from the 16th century. The monks here belonged to the Benedictine order. Today, part of the monastery has been converted into an hotel. Access to parts of the monastery is by guided tours.
Monastery of Yuso in San Millan de la Cogolla
The village next to the monastery is at the foot of Sierra de la Demanda. On the western side of the mountains is Ezcaray.
The facade dates from 1661 and is by Pedro de Base. The buildings are surrounded by walls; below is the church (L) and the doorway into a large courtyard, which was perhaps one of the three cloisters in centuries past.
San Milan
San Milan was possibly born in Berceo, near today’s monasteries, in 473 and died in 574. He lived as a hermit at Suso which was built over his tomb. Nevertheless, the Monastery of Yuso has a casket with his relics. The Monastery of Yuso has a map of all the religious institutions dedicated to the saint.
San Milan was famous because of his association with the development of the Spanish language – it was first found in the Monastery of Suso. Together with San Tiago he is the patron saint of Spain, but he was also known as a healer, associated with many extraordinary miracles.
The Salon de los Reyes
The guided tour started in this hall, where we seemed to spend an inordinate length of time while the guide explained goodness knows what in considerable detail. She did not hold the attention of all the attendees.
One of the cloisters
We then moved into the cloister of the mid-1500s which is open to the public.
Inside the church
The Sacristy
The sacristy was originally the chapter house and it is very surprising! Not only is it light and colourful but there are some very naughty ladies adorning the walls considering this is a monastery!
The Library
Apparently the monastery has one of the best monastic libraries in Spain. It has a collection of c.30 cantorales which each weigh 40-60 kgs, amongst other important books. The cantorales are the music of all the hymns sung by the monks, and they were handmade in the 17th century.
The books on display include volumes from the 13th and 15th centuries, and they are all very beautiful.
The upper cloister
In the upper cloister we were shown the chapel which is used as an exhibition space. Again there was a very long lecture, in Spanish.
Refreshments!
We sat outside the cafe, looking up the valley into the mountains and enjoyed coffee while everyone else piled into a bus to visit Suso – we couldn’t take anymore!
Driving back to Santo Domingo
The drive back to the parador, along a slightly different route, was very beautiful again.
It was another Wow! day – visiting San Milan de la Cogolla.
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