Burgos information
Santo Domingo de Silos information
The most outstanding monument in Santo Domingo
de Silos is the monastery, a universal Romanesque jewel, which
has become a centre of spiritual and artistic pilgrimage.
The monastery, of Visigothic origin, was razed to the ground by
the Arabs, and rebuilt by Santo Domingo, whose remains lie in
a sarcophagus that was carved on the rock. It has a sensational
Romanesque cloister, whose most important storey is the bottom
one, dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, and has beautiful
capitals, with varied sculptures, resting on double columns. On
its corners we can see eight remarkable relieves that depict scenes
from the life of Jesus Christ, and on the ceiling, a Mudejar coffer
from the 14th century, representing scenes from daily medieval
life. The monastery, managed by Benedictine monks who celebrate
Gregorian masses, has a rich library, and an 18th-century pharmacy,
which holds a collection of Talavera jars, and a lab full of antique
instruments.
Source: Web server of Instituto de Turismo de España, TURESPAÑA.