COMMUNICATION

The European Commission awarded the 2023 European Heritage Label to the Monastery of Yuste, thus recognising its importance in the creation of present-day Europe and because it is “a living monument that captures part of the continent’s memory”. (11/04/2024)

Located in the region of La Vera and known as the final resting place of Emperor Charles V, it is the headquarters of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, an institution under the administration of the Regional Government of Extremadura. The Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste was integrated into Patrimonio Nacional in 2004.

As already announced by the head of the Extremaduran government, María Guardiola, this distinction turns Extremadura into “a reference enclave of the European Union” and represents an impulse to “build new bridges and overcome new goals”. “Extremadura is proudly European”, she asserted.

The Monastery of Yuste has become a meeting place, a training centre, and a platform for debates on European issues, annually hosting the Carlos V European Award. This milestone has turned it into a centre that is committed to European values and the construction and integration of Europe. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1931 and European Heritage in 2007, the Monastery has a wide range of activities that allows for a better understanding of contemporary Europe.

Along with the Monastery of Yuste, other places across the continent have also been recognised: Cisterscapes – Cistercian Landscapes Connecting Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia); the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste (Spain); the Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Netherlands); the Royal Theatre Toone (Belgium); the Kalevala (Finland); the Romanian Athenaeum (Romania); and Sant’Anna di Stazzema (Italy). This year’s winners will receive the label during the European Heritage Label awards ceremony, which will be held in Antwerp on April 17, 2024.

The European Heritage Label is awarded to monuments, natural or urban sites, as well as cultural assets, objects, and intangible heritage. It acknowledges their key role in European history and culture, as well as in shaping what is now the European Union. It also encourages heritage sites to use digital technologies to provide a broader and more modern perspective on aspects such as identity, dialogue, cohesion, and creativity.