Education Centre of the Heritage and Restoration of the Monastery of San Millán de Yuso

“The Jury applauds the excellent use of the restoration of a World Heritage site as an educational tool to reach a very wide audience and to seek support for the protection of the historic environment. The aim of the Education Centre of the Monastery of Yuso is to transmit the knowledge, understanding and interpretation of the restoration of this exceptional site and to contribute to a better understanding of not only why, but also how such a restoration project should be implemented. Through this inspirational and interactive approach, they reached out to all generations, especially the young, and helped to instill in them a sense of ownership and pride.”

Between 2007 and 2009 a total of 39 educational workshops were staged on the heritage of the Monastery of San Millán de Yuso in La Rioja, in a special on-site Education Centre created for this purpose. This centre has enabled more than 3500 children from schools in the region to discover the monument restoration process, at its original source.

This project inaugurated a restoration and awareness-raising model that is open to society at a national level. Taking advantage of the opportunity for knowledge, engagement and enjoyment offered by such a restoration project, it also lays the groundwork for ongoing collaboration between regular education and a World Heritage site – such as the Monastery of Yuso – for active learning on heritage. Through its methodology and field work, the project contributes to the development of heritage pedagogy, driven in recent years by international and European institutions and non-governmental heritage organisations.