San Millán de la Cogolla monasteries

The monasteries of Suso and Yuso in San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja) have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The hermit Millán settled on the slopes of the Cogolla in the mid-6th century. Suso, the "upper" monastery, comprises hermits' caves, a Romanesque church and a porch, and has been under restoration since 1935. Yuso, the "lower" monastery, was founded lower down in the valley; the present building dates mainly from the 16th to 18th centuries. A community of monks still lives there, part of it serves as a hotel, and since 2005 it has housed CILENGUA, the research centre for the Spanish language.

The Glosas Emilianenses are famous: marginal notes in a 9th-century Latin manuscript (Codex Aemilianensis 60), added in Romance and Basque in the 10th or 11th century, probably at Suso. The original is now in Madrid. Private cars cannot go up to Suso: tickets are sold at Yuso and include a short bus ride up, and visits are by guided tour only (as of October 2026). On foot it is about 2 km; book in advance.