Culture urgently allocates 4.5 million to repair structural damage to the Monastery of Suso, cradle of Spanish

The Council of Ministries approved this Tuesday the execution of emergency works at the Monastery of Susobirthplace of Spanish, in San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja), worth 4,515,954 euros. The works, which will be carried out by the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE), will have a completion period of 24 months and the objective is to repair the “current structural instability of the building.” According to the Ministry of Culture in a press release, this instability and “the persistent water leaks, increased by recent torrential rains that occurred in La Rioja, compromise the structural integrity of the monastic complex, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1997.”

The works will focus on a double objective, according to the department he directs Ernest Urtasun. On the one hand, the aim will be to eliminate sources of humidity in the building and the diversion of surface water from the environment to achieve adequate indoor environmental conditions. On the other hand, work will be done on the structural consolidation of the building, which dates back to the 6th century, and the land on which it sits and is attached. “In order to protect the building from water leaks during the course of the work, a temporary cover will be installed that will be removed once the watertightness of the complex is guaranteed,” explains the ministry.

«Given the nature of the affected property, the actions will be based on a deep knowledge of the building, including the development of non-invasive diagnostic tests, monitoring of structural movements, archaeological investigations and monitoring, and characterization of materials, among others – adds Cultura. These studies will be added to those carried out by the IPCE so far: a photogrammetric survey of the building and a geophysical and geological study of the environment.

The Monastery of Suso is the cradle of Spanish, or the “Castilian language”, as the Ministry of Culture says in its press release. Glosses were written there in early Castilian in the 10th century, one of the first testimonies of the language. The monastery preserves the original temple and caves. It is believed that it was built in the second half of the 6th century as a cave chapel during the lifetime of San Millán and the monastery survived Islamic domination. In 1607, Sancho the Noble consecrated the new church of the Yuso Monastery, leaving Suso as a place of devotion. This monastic complex was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. It stands out for its cultural and religious impact.