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Links to individual Bellatrovata pages
Bellatrovata and Paradoxplace are the creations of Adrian Fletcher
All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-07 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission. Feedback and comments to Adrian Fletcher
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Bellatrovata
SPRING IN SPAIN 2006
LA RIOJA
CISTERCIAN ABBEY (CONVENT) OF CANAS SAN MILLÁN DE LA COGOLLA MONASTERIES OF YUSO (TOP OF HILL) & SUSO (BOTTOM) + MONASTERY OF VALVANERA SIERRA DE LA DEMANDA
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Map of the Camino de Compostela / Camino Frances - from the excellent MSM book "The Roads to Santiago de Compostella"
Canas (aka SM del Salvador) is near Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Yuso & Suso are near San Millán de la Cogolla Valverna and the Sikerra are to the south of San Millán de la Cogolla |
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The Cistercian Monastery (for nuns) of Santa Maria del Salvador at Canas was founded in 1170. This later relatively small last supper painted relief in the screen behind the (west facing) church altar is a triumph of workmanship and the power of the new Nikon 18-200 VR lens. More photos of earlier stuff from this delightful old place.
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The recently restored Mozarabic church of the monastery of Yuso - located in the wooded hills where San Millán de la Cogolla (473 - 574 (101)) set up monastic shop. In the late 900s the awful Al-Mansur fired the lot (even though the monastery had lived peacefully within the earlier Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsular), but it was rebuilt, only to be fired again by the equally awful English Black Prince, briefly distracted from burning down France in the 1360s, which event prompted the building of a large slab of a monastery called Suso at the bottom of the hill (photo below).
Pilgrims were flocking to the tomb of San Millán de la Cogolla long before the name "Compostella" had been invented in the late 800s, and it was also at Yuso in the mid 1000s that the Castillian language (later to morph into Spanish) first appeared in written form.
UNESCO listing as a world cultural heritage site has led to the inevitable larger parking area for coaches etc, but we were clever enough to go there on a Monday, when everything is closed, and when it is possible to drive up Yuso (normally you have to get the inadequate small shuttle bus) and wander around outside - though the cost is missing the Mozarabic interior (but then Dom P had spent two hours as the only visitor to the other Mozarabic masterpiece San Miguel de Escalada ).
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With no cloister photography or book purchases in prospect, we headed off south into the spectacular Sierra de la Demanda area, which actually does have a large monastery with hotel and restaurant (all closed) tucked high in the hills to the left of the cross below - Valvanera |
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Just after this the road quality deteriorated dramatically = no pics, but if this was the main park drag one could see how a donkey could be helpful |
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Links to individual Bellatrovata pages
Bellatrovata and Paradoxplace are the creations of Adrian Fletcher
All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-07 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission. Feedback and comments to Adrian Fletcher
|
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