"FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, ORIGINAL SOLUTIONS "
The 2020 says goodbye without taking with him the virus that has accompanied him since his arrival. Looking back and comparing this course with previous years, a categorical statement constantly comes to our mind: exceptionality. Yes, that same exceptionality that brings us back to the hydroalcoholic gel dispenser, the mask, the windows and even the steps we take in one direction or another.
However, exceptionality also offers us interesting opportunities. That our students yearn to return to “pre-pandemic” life is true. That some teachers reflect our past in the present of our students is no less so. Therefore, and since going back for now is an unlikely solution, the last 11 December we choose to break with the routine. Within the framework of an activity entitledInterpretation of Riojan Romanesque art. An approach to situated learning, presented by the Department of Geography and History in line with the Department of Plastic Arts, Twenty-five students of 2nd year of Baccalaureate and two teachers dedicated the day to know, a little better, the Romanesque heritage of our community.
Meter and a half present and mask on face, the bus left at 8:30 in the morning towards La Rioja Alta. The first stop was the Monastery of Suso (San Millán de la Cogolla), cradle of Castilian and emblematic place for ascetics. Accompanied by our guide, we got to know its history first-hand, anecdotal and constructive technique. The hardest thing was, without a doubt, put oneself in the shoes of that Saint Millán of the 5th and 6th centuries AD, who earned the appellation of Saint based on good, why live in such conditions and do it until the 101 years is not available to anyone. Nevertheless, beyond legend, Our students were able to interpret that Romanesque that stars in the important remodeling of the temple by Sancho III of Pamplona, the purpose of our visit.
With the purpose accomplished, it was time to leave and meet our next destination. A destination as important to us as it was to any pilgrim who embarked, at the dawn of the year 1000, in the adventure of traveling hundreds of kilometers to reach the place where the relics of the Apostle Santiago rested. More than anything, in case the millennium was turned and the world was really ending, that at least the sacrificed be caught in a condition to be saved. We talk about Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Yes, "Where the hen sang after roast". And here our students of History of Art of 2º of Baccalaureate were going to become professional guides of the Romanesque. With them, we got into the Camino de Santiago Riojano, we interpret the Romanesque head of the Cathedral and we knew first hand the famous legend of the rooster and the hen. Evidently, We could not end the visit without greeting the only couple who are still unaffected by ecclesiastical celibacy.: the cock and the hen of the Cathedral, of those who, even, some student ventured to guess his lineage to satisfy his teacher's quirky tastes. With homework done, it was time to go back and enjoy the weekend. Until next time.
Enrique Fernandez Martinez
