Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos

World-famous for its Romanesque cloister with exquisitely carved capitals and for the Gregorian chant recordings by its Benedictine monks that became an international bestseller.

History

The monastery was refounded by Santo Domingo in 1041 on a Visigothic-era site. Its double-story cloister is considered one of the masterpieces of Romanesque sculpture in Europe. In 1994, the monks' recording of Gregorian chant became an unlikely worldwide bestseller, reaching the top of the Billboard charts.

Architecture

The cloister features 64 capitals carved with biblical scenes, vegetal motifs, and fantastical creatures. The corner relief panels — Descent from the Cross, Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost — are masterworks of 12th-century sculpture. A remarkable ancient cypress stands at the cloister center.

Highlights

• World-renowned Romanesque cloister
• Gregorian chant bestseller recording
• 64 carved capitals of biblical scenes
• Ancient cypress tree in cloister
• Active Benedictine community

More Monasteries in Castilla y León

• Real Monasterio de las Huelgas — Cistercian, 12th Century. A royal Cistercian convent founded by Eleanor of England and Alfonso VIII of Castile. Its abbess held extraordinary powers, able to grant titles, hear confessions, and rule over fifty villages.
• Monasterio de San Pedro de Cardeña — Cistercian, 10th Century. The legendary monastery where El Cid left his wife Doña Jimena and daughters before riding into exile. One of the most important sites in Cidian legend and Castilian history.
• Santa María de Moreruela — Cistercian, 12th Century. The ruins of what was possibly the first Cistercian monastery in the Iberian Peninsula. Its apse with radiating chapels is unique in Spanish Cistercian architecture.
• San Pedro de Arlanza — Benedictine, 10th Century. The romantic ruins of the 'cradle of Castile' — a Benedictine abbey where Fernán González, first independent Count of Castile, is said to have been raised and buried.

Explore nearby: Castilla y León guide · Burgos province · Castles of Burgos