San Millán de la Cogolla is a sparsely populated municipality in La Rioja, (Spain). La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It takes its name from a 6th-century saint (Saint Emilianus or San Millán)) who lived here, and from the the shape of the surrounding mountains (the word cogolla means "hood"). The village is famous for its twin monasteries, Yuso and Suso, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1997. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex There were 303 inhabitants registered in 2007, the population having fallen significantly during the twentieth century. The area is Spanish-speaking but some of the local place-names are of Basque origin, and there is evidence that Basque was spoken locally a thousand years ago (see Glosas Emilianenses). Glosas Emilianenses (Spanish for "glosses of Emilianus" are glosses written in a Latin Codex.
Jews were living here as early as at Nájera, and they suffered greatly in the civil war between Pedro of Castile and Henry II of Castile. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Nájera (Naiara is a small city located in the "Rioja Alta" district of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla Peter (or Pedro; August 30, 1334 &ndash March 23, 1369) sometimes called the Cruel ( el Cruel) or Henry II ( January 13, 1334 Sevilla - May 29, 1379 Santo Domingo de la Calzada) better known as Henry of Trastámara On Oct. 15, 1369, at the request of the directors of the small aljama of San Millán, whose cause was advocated by "certain Jews who were received at court," Henry II of Castile ordered that "the Christian men and women and the Moorish men and women" should immediately discharge all their debts to the Jews, "that the last-named might be able to pay their taxes the more promptly. Aljama is a Spanish-language term of Arabic-language origin used in old official documents to designate the self-governing communities of Moors " On Sept. 10, 1371, however, the king released the abbot and all the monks of San Millán from whatever debts they had contracted with the Jews since the Battle of Nájera. [1]
History of the Monasteries of San Millán
| San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Spain |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 805 |
| Region† | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Suso is the older of the two monasteries, and one of its claims to fame is as the site where phrases in the Spanish and Basque languages were written for the first time - the codex in question was subsequently preserved in the monastery library at Yuso before being moved to its current location in Madrid. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain The phrases in Spanish and Basque are glosses on a Latin text and are known as the Glosas Emilianenses. This article is about the literary term For other uses see Gloss (disambiguation. Glosas Emilianenses (Spanish for "glosses of Emilianus" are glosses written in a Latin Codex. There is some debate as to whether the Spanish words are written in an early form of Castilian or in a related dialect. Castilian is a noun and adjective that refers to the region and former kingdom of Castile in Spain; in particular it may refer to a native person In either case, San Millán's importance as a cradle of the Spanish language is reinforced by the proximity of the village of Berceo which is associated with Gonzalo de Berceo, the first Spanish poet known by name. Berceo is a municipality in La Rioja, Spain. It is located near the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla and was the birthplace of Gonzalo de Berceo Gonzalo de Berceo (ca 1190&ndash before 1264 was a Spanish Poet born in the Riojan village of Berceo, close to the major Benedictine monastery
There is a continuous history of Christianity at San Millán since the time of the saint. The scriptorium remained active during the period of Muslim rule; and over the centuries, the religious community has overcome various vicissitudes which affected the monasteries (for example being sacked by the Black Prince). Scriptorium, literally "a place for writing" is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European Monasteries devoted to the copying of manuscripts by monastic A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion However the type of monastic life has evolved - the original monks living at Suso were hermits, but Yuso developed as a Benedictine community and is now Augustinian. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations As the UNESCO evaluation noted, San Millán shows the transformation from an eremetic to a cenobitic community in material terms. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" Today San Millán attracts pilgrims on the Way of St James (although it lies somewhat off the line of the official route [2] between Nájera and Burgos). The Way of St James or St James' Way ( Galician O camiño de Santiago, Spanish name El Camino de Santiago) Nájera (Naiara is a small city located in the "Rioja Alta" district of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla History Early man of Neanderthal occupied sites around Burgos as early as 800000 years ago Part of Yuso monastery has been converted into a hotel.
Online references
- (English) Entry on the World Heritage website
- (Spanish) Cervantes Centre