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There are places where history is not simply preserved: it is still being written. San Millán de la Cogolla is one of them. In this corner of La Rioja, where the written word left some of its earliest traces in Romance, the Monastery of Yuso will host AutorIA. La Rioja, Land of Spanish, an exhibition that takes visitors on a journey spanning more than a thousand years, from medieval codices to artificial intelligence.
From 30 September 2026 to 10 January 2027, this immersive experience invites visitors to discover Spanish from a different perspective: as a living language, constantly evolving and shaped over the centuries by those who have written, spoken, studied and developed it.
From codex to code
The exhibition’s central concept sums up its journey: “From codex to code”. A voyage that begins in the Emilian monasteries, which for centuries served as centres of knowledge and culture, and reaches one of the great questions of our time: what happens to authorship and to language itself when machines begin to participate in the creation of texts, information and knowledge?
San Millán de la Cogolla is the natural starting point for this story. Its codices offer an insight into one of the key moments in the history of Spanish and highlight the importance of La Rioja in the development of a language that is now spoken by more than 600 million people.
The exhibition also explores some of the figures who have helped Spanish become a language with a global reach. The journey includes authors such as Nebrija, Cervantes, Miguel Hernández, Pablo Neruda, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Cela, María de la O Lejárraga and Ana María Matute, showing how different voices and creative approaches have enriched and spread Spanish throughout the world.
Buy your tickets for AutorIA and discover the history of Spanish
Exceptional heritage brought together once again
One of AutorIA’s main attractions is the collection of more than fifty pieces that help tell this story through heritage. Among them are the three surviving sections of the ivory cross of San Millán, loaned by the Louvre Museum and the National Archaeological Museum, which are being brought together in Spain for the first time.
Visitors will also be able to see the harpsichord of Barbara of Portugal, on which Domenico Scarlatti played, as well as the Virgin of the Apple, a piece linked to the heritage of San Millán that, after decades away from La Rioja, has returned to the region permanently. These objects provide a unique insight into the cultural history of San Millán, through pieces that have survived across centuries and are now reunited in this very special setting.
A new way to experience heritage
The experience goes beyond simply viewing historical objects. AutorIA incorporates audiovisual, immersive and interactive resources, allowing visitors to discover areas of the Monastery of Yuso that are normally outside the visitor route, as well as explore unique spaces such as its Library. It is a proposal that combines heritage and new technologies to offer a fresh way of engaging with the history of Spanish.
The self-guided visit can be complemented by a web app featuring additional content, interactive resources and an audio guide available in Spanish, English and French. Guided tours are also available, lasting approximately one and a half hours.
Furthermore, 2026 marks a particularly significant anniversary: it is one hundred years since the publication of Orígenes del español (Origins of Spanish), Ramón Menéndez Pidal’s work that helped establish San Millán and La Rioja as key places for understanding the origins of the language.
An experience to discover La Rioja through words
Visiting AutorIA means, ultimately, discovering an essential part of La Rioja’s identity: a land where heritage, culture, landscape and knowledge come together.
It is also an opportunity to travel from the origins of Spanish to the questions shaping its future. Because the history of Spanish does not end with the codices. It continues in every conversation, every book, every creation and now also in the dialogue between people and artificial intelligence.
The exhibition can be visited at the Monastery of Yuso, in San Millán de la Cogolla, until 10 January 2027. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the official AutorIA website.
An experience that invites you to pause, discover and see differently a language that was born, grew and continues to evolve. A story that began to be written in La Rioja and that still has many pages yet to be written.
