St. Emilian Cucullatus is one of the patron saints of Spain, called La Cogalla, "the Cowled." A shepherd from La Rioja, in Navarre, Spain, he was ordained a priest after many years as a hermit. He was made pastor of the parish in Berceo but became a hermit again. In time so many joined him that he founded a hermitage that became the Benedictine Abbey of La Cogalla.
     The region, known as La Bureba, is said to be the birthplace of the Spanish language, vulgar Latin modified under Basque influence. It has, in recent years, been promoted as the cradle of Spanish language and culture.
     The stamp was issued in 1977 to commemorate the millennium of the Catalan language. The manuscript is the earliest known writing in Catalan.