Los valles del Cárdenas y del Najerilla nos ofrecen innumerables actividades culturales como, por ejemplo, la Ruta de los Monasterios que te propone recorrer los Monasterios de Suso y Yuso, el Monasterio de Valvanera en Anguiano y Santa María La Real en Nájera y la Catedral de Santo Domingo de la Calzada, entre otros.
O también actividades deportivas, de senderismo y multiaventura en el futuro parque natural del Alto Najerilla, práctica del golf en el Club de golf Rioja Alta a 15km, sin descartar la gastronomía (La Rioja presume de ofrecer el mayor número de Estellas Michelín por habitante), visitas a las mejores bodegas y calados, o callejear por Logroño que se encuentra a tan solo 45km.
Éste es uno de los mejores destinos para hacer senderismo en el territorio riojano. Hay varias rutas marcadas muy recomendables, como por ejemplo el GR-93 Ezcaray–San Millán, el GR-93 San Millán–Anguiano, que le continúa, la Ruta de la Cueva del Santo, o la Ruta de Gonzalo de Berceo.
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San Millán de la Cogolla
The origin of the construction of the monastery is reflected in a legend that tells how King García, the king of Nájera, ordered the transfer of the remains of San Millán that were in Suso to the monastery of Santa María La Real de Nájera. The oxen that pulled the cart stopped the valley as if the remains of the Saint did not want to leave it, building the current Yuso monastery there.
A Romanesque monastery from the 10th and 11th centuries, of which no remains remain today, on which the current Yuso monastery was built between the 16th and 18th centuries by the Benedictine abbots. The Benedictine monks moved to the monastery in the 10th century. One of the most important abbots was Domingo, a native of the Riojan population of Cañas, better known as Santo Domingo de Silos.Ver más...
The entrance to the monastery was made in 1661 and in it appears the relief of San Millán "Matamoros" since according to tradition he fought Islam together with Santiago in the battle of Simancas. The entrance hall was made a little later in 1689, all of this gives access to the Hall of the Kings, named after the four large canvases of benefactor kings of the monastery.
The lower cloister was started in 1549 and although its vaults are Gothic, the conception is Renaissance. The upper one is classicist and contains twenty-four paintings by José Vexes, whose main scenes deal with the life of San Millán, written by San Braulio, Archbishop of Zaragoza.
The sacristy is one of the most beautiful in Spain, the old chapter house began to be used as such around 1693. The ceiling frescoes from the 18th century retain all the richness of the original color without having been restored. The chest of drawers is made of walnut wood, on top of which there are twenty-four baroque oil paintings on copper of Flemish, Madrid and Italian origin.
The church of the monastery is the first thing that was made of this whole complex, begun in the year 1504 and finished thirty six years later, it is cataloged within the decadent Gothic. The grandiose altarpiece of the main altar contains a canvas by Fray Juan Ricci, from the El Greco school, which represents Saint Millán on horseback in the battle of Hacinas. The extraordinary grille by Sebastián de Medina from 1676 completes the artistic ensemble of the main chapel.
The low choir stalls were made by a Flemish carver around 1640, the French Rococo style retrochoir is decorated with round sculptures representing disciples of Saint Millán, highlighting for its beauty the Plateresque pulpit decorated with reliefs of the evangelists and symbols of passion. The upper choir, somewhat later than the lower one, is supported by an arch with sixteen medallions, from the first half of the 17th century.
The monastery's cantoral shelves have 25 volumes copied between 1729 and 1731 to their credit. The monasterial archive and library of great value to researchers is considered among the best in Spain; in it two cartularies and three hundred original volumes are kept.
In the exhibition hall, the replicas of the Romanesque ivories of the caskets stand out: reliquaries of San Millán from the 11th century and of San Felices from the 12th century.
It was built by Benedictine monks, who remained there until the confiscation and exclaustration of the XIX century. Currently the Augustinian Recollect friars are the ones who keep the spirit of the monastery alive.
San Millán de la Cogolla
San Asensio
Anguiano
The name of the monastery, Valvanera, comes from a Latin expression "Vallis Venaria" which means "Valley of the veins of water" because it is a valley with abundant fountains, streams and waterfalls.
The construction of the sanctuary had its origin in the discovery of an image of Santa María from the 9th century by a repentant thief named Nuño Oñez, as related in the "Latin History" written by the Abbot of Valvanera, Don Rodrigo de Castroviejo in the year 1419.Ver más...
It is the translation into Latin of a 13th century text possibly written by Gonzalo de Berceo in the "mother vulgar" language. he primitive monastery built around the found image and made up of hermits gave way in the 10th century to Benedictine monks. In its origin there was a Visigothic church, then a pre-Romanesque one consecrated in 1073, another Romanesque in 1183 of which only one tower remains and finally, the current 15th century church.
In the main altar of the church is the dressing room of the Virgin of Valvanera which can be accessed from the side. The upper part is presided over by a Christ Majesty "Pantocrator" and below the images of Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Benedict and Saint Athanasius.
The rest of the monastery is made up of 20th century buildings in honor of the Patron Saint of La Rioja. The one that is worshiped under the invocation of Valvanera is the most important carving. The author or the date on which it was made is not known, but due to its characteristics it seems to be a Byzantine-Visigothic style sculpture. Its origin is situated in the context of the renewed Marian fervor that took place in Spain in the first half of the 9th century.
Nájera
San Vicente de la Sonsierra
Cañas
Hormilla
The Botanical Garden of La Rioja is located between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Nájera, on the A12 motorway between Burgos and Logroño.
It offers nature lovers a huge space full of trees, flowers and plants from all over the world.Ver más...
The contents developed through the Botanical Garden have been structured along two lines: transversal contents and specific contents, adapting each one to the type of visitor and the point of interest of each visit.
In this way, the visitor can take a pleasant stroll through the entire route freely or visit the Garden accompanied by a guide who will show the details of each area according to the season of the year.
Individual panels complete the visual information, with additional data, which make it very pleasant to learn about each of the species that populate it.
Specially prepared to be enjoyed by children, it is possible to visit the garden barefoot.
The visit to the Garden takes between 90-120 minutes.
San Asensio
San Asensio
Viniegra de Abajo
The Urbión wetland complex is a high mountain ecosystem that has remained isolated for thousands of years in the heart of the Mediterranean region.
At the foot of the Urbión, on its Riojan slope, glacial phenomena have created this group of ten lakes: one permanent and typically alpine; the rest are much smaller. Ver más...
The environment of strong thermal contrasts and the inaccessibility of the site have contributed to the excellent state of conservation of the Urbión lagoons.
They have a high diversity of aquatic flora and fauna, with species adapted to the conditions of a humid alpine environment within the Mediterranean region.
In February 2006, the Urbión lagoons were added to the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar), which includes the most valuable wetlands on the planet.
Nájera