The French Republic awarded Trinidad Nogales Basarrate the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters on Friday, 13 November. The insignia was presented in the new auditorium at the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano (MNAR) in Mérida. Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, France’s consul general and delegated director of the Institut français in Seville, pinned the medal on the museum’s director. Teresa Macías, Spain’s Government delegate in Extremadura, also attended.
Nogales is the first person from Extremadura to receive the distinction and, according to Cadena SER, the 21st Spaniard recognised with it. Established in 1957, the Order of Arts and Letters honours contributions to artistic and literary creation and the spread of culture in France and internationally. French cultural authorities administer the state distinction. Nogales received the Knight grade, the order’s entry rank. She accepted the honour “con honor y responsabilidad,” EFE reported.
The award recognises Nogales’s work in archaeology and cultural management, alongside her teaching. She earned a doctorate in Archaeology from the Universidad de Salamanca in 1992 and has led the Mérida museum since 2017. She has taught at the Universidad de Extremadura and served as a visiting professor at universities abroad, including the Universidad de París IV-Sorbonne. The recognition reflects her contribution to archaeological research and cultural heritage management, including its public dissemination.
Her institutional career includes a term as Extremadura’s education and culture councillor from 2011 to 2015. Vanbaelinghem highlighted the cultural ties with France that Nogales promoted during that period. French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard also sent her a personal letter and diploma.
Nogales’s academic affiliations include the Instituto Arqueológico Alemán and the Real Academia de las Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría. She is also a member of the Real Academia de Extremadura de las Letras y las Artes. In 2023, she received the Premio Nacional de Arqueología ‘Profesor José María Blázquez’ at the Premios Cultura Viva. Separately, the MNAR received the Medalla de Extremadura in September 2026.
The Casa Macià initiative in Prats de Molló was a separate cross-border heritage project, covered during Carles Puigdemont’s visit. Nogales’s French award recognises her contribution to archaeological research and cultural heritage management, including its dissemination. Mérida’s councillor for Culture, Antonio Vélez, called the distinction “una buena noticia” for the city.
