precious-postcards

San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries

The monastic community founded by St Millán in the mid-6th century became a place of pilgrimage. A fine Romanesque church built in honour of the holy man still stands at the site of Suso. It was here that the first literature was produced in Castilian, from which one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today is derived. In the early 16th century the community was housed in the fine new monastery of Yuso, below the older complex; it is still a thriving community today.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/805

The San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries are known for their role in the development of the Spanish language.

The twin monasteries are located in San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja. They owe thier existence to the holy man Millán, who settled here in the 6th century and founded the first 'monastery' at this spot.

Suso is the older of the two monasteries, and it is the site where phrases in the Spanish and Basque languages were written for the first time. A monk had put annotations in Spanish and Basque next to a Latin text. The codex in question was subsequently preserved in the monastery library at Yuso before being moved to its current location in Madrid.

Yuso monastery dates from the early 16th century. 'Yuso' means 'below', while 'Suso' stands for 'upper'.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=805