Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos facts for kids
The Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey (which in Spanish is called Abadía del Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos) is a special Benedictine monastery. You can find it in a small village called Santo Domingo de Silos. This village is in the southern part of the Burgos Province in northern Spain. The monastery is named after a saint from the 11th century, Dominic of Silos.
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History of the Abbey
The Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey has a very long history! It started way back in the 7th century, during the Visigothic period. In the 10th century, it was known as San Sebastián de Silos. But it got its current name when Dominic of Silos was asked to fix it up. This happened when Fernando the Great, who was King of Castile and León, put him in charge.
Dominic had been a leader at the Monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla. But he and two other monks were forced to leave by King García Sánchez III of Navarre. This was because they didn't agree with the king wanting to take the monastery's land.
Dominic designed the church to have a main area called a nave. It also had two side aisles and five small chapels. These chapels were connected to its apse (a rounded end) and transept (the arms of the cross shape). When Santo Domingo passed away in 1073, Abbot Fortunius took over the building work. He made sure the church and the cloister were finished. Later, a new architect named Ventura Rodríguez rebuilt the church in a different style.
In 1835, the Silos Abbey, like many other monasteries in Spain, was closed down. But don't worry! In 1880, Benedictine monks from Solesmes in France came and brought the monastery back to life.
Amazing Romanesque Art
The monastery has a two-story cloister (an open courtyard with covered walkways). This cloister is famous for its large stone carvings called capitals. These capitals have carved scenes and relief panels. Experts consider it a true masterpiece of Romanesque art. Many books have been written about it, including one by Meyer Schapiro called Romanesque Art.
The capitals on the lower part of the cloister have cool decorations. You can see dragons, centaurs (half-human, half-horse creatures), patterns, and mermaids. There's also an important Romanesque statue of the Madonna and Child (Mary and baby Jesus). The cloisters are the only part of the monastery that looks the same as when it was first built.
The cloister is shaped like an angled rectangle. It has 16 arches on the north and south sides. There are 14 arches on the west and east sides. The lower story was started around the late 11th century. It was finished in the second half of the 12th century. We know this because of a special stone marking the death of Santo Domingo in 1073. This stone is on a group of four capitals in the north gallery. The cloister was officially opened on September 29, 1088. The upper story of the cloister was built on top of the wooden roof of the first story. It was finished during the 12th century.
Abbot Fortunius, who took over after Abbot Domingo, was in charge of building the north and original west galleries. He had to stop building for a while. This was because many pilgrims came to visit Abbot Domingo's shrine. Also, building stopped for several decades due to political and money problems. This happened between 1109 and 1120. Because of this break, the west and south galleries look different. This suggests that a new group of builders was hired to finish the work after the pause.
The cloister has four square pillars at each corner. There are also pairs of columns along each of the arcades (the rows of arches). The arches sit on a raised platform that runs along each side of the cloister. In the middle of each side, there is a group of four columns.
The pillars are about six feet tall. They have carved biblical scenes from after Jesus's crucifixion. These scenes include the Three Marys finding Jesus is gone, the Pentecost, Doubting Thomas, and the Road to Emmaus. These religious scenes were originally painted in bright colors. These pillar carvings were made in the mid-12th century. They were done by the same artist who carved the lower story capitals. People think the carved panels were made by the same craftsman who worked on the Abbey of St. Pierre de Moissac in France.
The pillar carving in the southeast corner shows Jesus going up to heaven and the Pentecost. The northeast corner's pillar carving shows the Entombment (Jesus being buried) and the Descent from the Cross. The northwest corner's pillar carving shows the disciples of Emmaus. The southwest corner's pillar carvings show the Annunciation to Mary and the Tree of Jesse.
The paired columns along each side of the cloister share a single capital. Each capital has its own special decoration. They show different animals, plants, or abstract designs. The capitals on the second story of the cloister tell stories. This is because they were made later. All the capitals in the east gallery and most in the north gallery were carved by the same group of artists. The east gallery was finished first, then the north gallery.
After the break in building, work started again in 1158. The south gallery was finished soon after. The newly rebuilt west gallery was the last part of the cloister to be completed. Before the west gallery was done, plans were made to build the second story of the cloister. Many believe that the carvings on the lower story are even better quality than those on the upper story.
The Abbey Library
The Silos Library was once a very important place for old church books. It was one of the main places for Mozarabic rite manuscripts, along with the library of Toledo Cathedral. However, many of these books were sold off in 1878.
Today, the library still has the Missal of Silos. This is the oldest Western manuscript (handwritten book) made on paper. There is also a historic pharmacy at the abbey with its own special library.
Books Made at Silos
Some of the books made at the Silos scriptorium (a room where monks copied and decorated books) are now in famous libraries. You can find them at the British Library in London and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.
One of the most important books made at the abbey was a beautifully decorated Beatus manuscript. This book was a commentary (an explanation) on the Apocalypse (the Book of Revelation). The writing was finished in 1091 by two monks. But the amazing pictures (illustrations) were mostly done later by the prior (a leader in the monastery). He finished his work in 1109. These pictures include an important map of the Mediterranean regions. This book is now in the British Library. It left the monastery sometime before the 18th century.
Music at the Abbey
The monks at Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey have a long tradition of singing. They originally sang something called Mozarabic chant. This was a special type of church music. Later, around the 11th century, they switched to Gregorian chant.
In 1880, the abbey joined the Solesmes Congregation. This group is well-known for its strong tradition of singing Gregorian chant. The singing style at Santo Domingo de Silos has been influenced by the studies and performances of Solesmes Abbey.
Famous Recordings
Gregorian Chant Albums
The monks of Silos became famous around the world for their Gregorian chant singing. This happened because of their very successful album Chant in 1994. This was one of several recordings by the choir that were sold to the public.
The Chant album reached #3 on the Billboard 200 music chart. It was certified as triple platinum, meaning it sold over three million copies! It became the best-selling Gregorian chant album ever. They followed this success with Chant Noël: Chants for the Holiday Season (also in 1994) and Chant II (1995).
Some people say other choirs might be technically better. But the Silos monks are truly authentic. They sing Gregorian chant as part of their daily worship. A reviewer from Gramophone magazine put it well: "The ensemble is not always perfect, but if these are not professional singers, they are, and they sound like, truly professional monks."
Mozarabic Chant Albums
The monks of Silos are one of the few choirs to have recorded Mozarabic chant. They did this for a 1970 album with the German music label Archiv Produktion. Another group that has recorded Mozarabic chant is Ensemble Organum.
Visiting the Abbey
You can visit some parts of the Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey! The cloisters and the historic pharmacy are open to the public. Visitors can also attend church services like vespers (evening prayers) in the abbey church. However, access to the library is only for researchers.
See also
In Spanish: Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos para niños
