San Millán de la Cogolla: A Monastic Landscape
Research contract
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This landscape study is part of “A Monastic Landscape,” a research, protection, and dissemination project focused on the heritage assets and values that comprise the cultural landscape surrounding the monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and Suso, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. The study aims to examine the monasteries and their surroundings as an expression of the interaction between human activity and the natural environment over time, analyzing and interpreting the cultural value of the territorial heritage system created by both. It is hoped that the results of this work will be useful for planning future actions and interventions to restore and enhance the landscape of the San Millán Valley.
PHASE 1 (2023-2025)
+STUDY OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE MONASTERIES OF SAN MILLÁN DE YUSO AND DE SUSO: INITIAL PHASE
The first phase focused on identifying the components that structure the landscape of the San Millán Valley, with the aim of analyzing the buffer zone defined through the UNESCO declaration in all the complexity of its geographical and functional context; also determining the different landscape units that make up the landscape mosaic of the study area and the relationships (historical and contemporary) between them, seeking to highlight their heritage values.
PHASE 2 (2025-2026)
+DOCUMENTATION OF THE AREA OF THE HISTORIC FENCE OF THE YUSO MONASTERY AND PROPOSALS FOR ITS LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENT
During the second phase, a detailed analysis was carried out of the main elements that make up the immediate surroundings of the Suso and Yuso monasteries, which could serve as potential attractions for heritage restoration. First, a detailed exploration of the irrigation channel for the orchards, known locally as “El Torco,” was conducted; second, the current state of the historic wall of the Yuso Monastery was verified; and third, a perceptual study of the spatial structure of the core area of the UNESCO protection zone was developed, as well as the use of the orchards located within the enclosure delimited by the historic wall.
Presentation of the research and heritage education project “A monastic landscape”
(May 10th and 11th, 2024)
Friday, May 10th, 2024
18:30 h. San Millán as seen by its inhabitants: pride and landscape.
Eloísa Pérez, Alicia Castillo and Iván Santamaría. Cultural Heritage Management Research Group. Complutense University of Madrid.
Venue: Cilengua.
19:00 h. Of orchards, water paths and monastic sites: examples of landscape recovery for the local community.
Diego Toribio Álvarez and Eduardo de Nó Santos. Cultural Landscape Research Group. Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Venue: Cilengua.
Saturday, May 11th, 2024
11:00 h. Landscape study workshop based on a cartographic series. Led by Rodrigo de la O, David Escudero and Nicolás Mariné. Cultural Landscape Research Group. Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Venue: Cilengua.
12:00 h. A guided tour to discover the peculiarities of the construction techniques in San Millán de la Cogolla.
Conducted by Jocelyn Tillería. Doctor in Architectural Heritage from the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
18:00 h. Presentation of the results of the project A Monastic Landscape.
Venue: Salón de la Lengua. Monastery of Yuso.
PROGRAM (Download PDF)
