Dominic of Silos
Encyclopedia
Saint Dominic of Silos (1000 – December 20, 1073) was a Spanish
saint, to whom the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos is dedicated.
Born in Cañas, La Rioja
, to a family of peasant
s, he worked as a shepherd
before becoming a Benedictine
monk at the monastery of San Millán de Cogolla. There, he became novice master and then prior before being driven out with two of his fellow monks by the King of Navarre, who wished to annex the monastery's lands.
Under the protection of Ferdinand I of León
, they found refuge at the monastery later named after him. There, Dominic rebuilt the monastery, both spiritually and physically, and turned it into a center of book design, gold and silver work, scholarship, and charity
. The monastery became one of the centers of the Mozarabic liturgy
, and also preserved the Visigothic script of ancient Spain.
Wealthy patrons endowed the monastery, and Dominic raised funds to ransom
Christians taken prisoner by the Moors
. He died of natural causes in 1073.
to the monastery church at Silos on January 5, 1076. Churches and monasteries were dedicated to him as early as 1085. His special patronage was connected with pregnancy
, and before 1931, his abbatial staff was used to bless Spanish queens and kept by their beds when they were in labor
.
The mother of Saint Dominic of Guzmán
is said to have prayed at the shrine of Dominic of Silos before she conceived the child that would subsequently found the Dominican Order
.
Gonzalo de Berceo
wrote an account of his life called the Vida de Santo Domingo de Silos.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
saint, to whom the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos is dedicated.
Born in Cañas, La Rioja
Cañas, La Rioja
Cañas is a municipality of La Rioja, Spain. It was the birthplace of Saint Dominic of Silos .The abbey of Santa María y San Salvador de Cañas for Cistercian nuns was founded in this town by Lope Díaz I de Haro and his wife Aldonza in 1169 and 1170. Its wealth and power culminated during the 13th...
, to a family of peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s, he worked as a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
before becoming a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk at the monastery of San Millán de Cogolla. There, he became novice master and then prior before being driven out with two of his fellow monks by the King of Navarre, who wished to annex the monastery's lands.
Under the protection of Ferdinand I of León
Ferdinand I of León
Ferdinand I , called the Great , was the Count of Castile from his uncle's death in 1029 and the King of León after defeating his brother-in-law in 1037. According to tradition, he was the first to have himself crowned Emperor of Spain , and his heirs carried on the tradition...
, they found refuge at the monastery later named after him. There, Dominic rebuilt the monastery, both spiritually and physically, and turned it into a center of book design, gold and silver work, scholarship, and charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
. The monastery became one of the centers of the Mozarabic liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
, and also preserved the Visigothic script of ancient Spain.
Wealthy patrons endowed the monastery, and Dominic raised funds to ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
Christians taken prisoner by the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
. He died of natural causes in 1073.
Veneration
Dominic's relics were translatedTranslation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to the monastery church at Silos on January 5, 1076. Churches and monasteries were dedicated to him as early as 1085. His special patronage was connected with pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, and before 1931, his abbatial staff was used to bless Spanish queens and kept by their beds when they were in labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
.
The mother of Saint Dominic of Guzmán
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
is said to have prayed at the shrine of Dominic of Silos before she conceived the child that would subsequently found the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo was a Spanish poet born in the Riojan village of Berceo, close to the major Benedictine monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla...
wrote an account of his life called the Vida de Santo Domingo de Silos.