Santo Domingo de Silos - Pueblos con encanto en 4K

Santo Domingo de Silos is located in the La Demanda region of the province of Burgos. It belongs to the Arlanza Triangle with the neighboring towns of Lerma and Covarrubias, forming part of the Camino del Cid. The town dates back to the 11th century, enjoying great splendor until the 13th century thanks to Saint Dominic, who rebuilt the monastery around the year 1000. The village features traditional houses and noble mansions, the city wall, and the Church of San Pedro or the Holy Body, built between the 12th and 17th centuries. It is home to the Virgin of the Market, the town's patron saint, venerated on July 2nd. Eight dancing children dressed in traditional costumes and armed with castanets or sticks perform to the sound of the dulzaina and the drum, led by the zarragón (a local priest). In Visigoth times, there was a monastery dedicated to Saint Sebastian, restored and expanded during the reign of Count Fernán González. Around 1042, the building underwent extensive renovations at the initiative of Saint Dominic, undertaking a magnificent Romanesque project, of which only the cloisters and the Gate of the Virgins remain. The rest is Neoclassical from the 18th and 19th centuries. Near the monastery, we find the statue of Saint Dominic, the medieval wash house, and the 13th-century Arch of Saint John, which belonged to the wall. A bridge spans the Mataviejas River. Nearby, there are signs indicating hiking trails. Following the route of El Cid's exile and climbing the Via Crucis, you reach the hermitage of Our Lady of the Way. At the entrance to the monastery courtyard, there are two large heads, "Carmen Dormida" and "Carmen Awake," by Antonio López, which are on display inside the monastery. Inside the courtyard, we find a giant sequoia tree over 120 years old, brought from Canada. The charm of Silos lies in its irregularly square Romanesque cloister, which exudes peace and harmony, inviting contemplation and reflection at the center of the monastic community's life, feeling the vibrations of the ancient stones and the silence. Its two harmonious levels have double-column arcades, except in the center, with bundles of four columns. The lower cloister spans two periods: the east and north galleries are from the second half of the 11th century; and the west and south galleries are from the 12th century. The upper one was built in the late 12th century. The large corner pillars of the cloister are decorated with beautiful Romanesque works carved from monolithic limestone blocks. There are eight bas-reliefs, six by the first master and two by the second. The quality and symbolism of the 64 capitals in the lower cloister are noteworthy, with a varied iconographic program of baskets, tendrils, acanthus, sirens, harpies, griffins, lions, centaurs, dragons, and fabulous birds. The chapter house, located next to the south transept of the temple, was the seat of government for the abbot's monastic life. Between it and the Portal of the Virgins is a small chapel with Gothic decoration. The Portal of the Virgins is a splayed structure, with the opening surrounded by a false horseshoe arch in the Mozarabic tradition. The archivolts are semicircular, and the columns have elaborate shafts and capitals with rich iconography. To one side is a sculpture of Our Lady of March, a seated Romanesque Virgin made of a single piece, veiled and crowned, from the last third of the 13th century. The previous Romanesque ceiling was destroyed in the fire of 1384. The current ceiling, built as a coffered ceiling in the Mudejar style, is a polychrome wooden structure made up of twelve different pieces of pine, artfully carved and interlaced, painted with different motifs depicting 14th-century Castilian life. In the north gallery of the cloister is the tomb of Saint Dominic, preceded by a recumbent statue of the monk, resting on a group of three lions. Behind it, on the north wall, is a small 13th-century chapel with a scene of the miraculous redemption of captives and votive offerings in the form of chains. The famous cypress tree, planted in 1882, has grown, thick and slender, to over 25 meters in height. Much admired by all, some poets have dedicated their best verses to it. The premises include an eighteenth-century pharmacy with a beautiful collection of Talavera pottery, and a museum with remains from the old monastery, Mozarabic and Romanesque sculptures, as well as goldsmithing and enamel pieces. The monks, in a life of radical following of the Lord, practice Gregorian chant of medieval origin, a deeply felt spirituality that unwittingly led them to worldwide fame during the 1980s. They are a true family that prays and works in unity, gathering in their hearts the anxieties, longings, and hopes of humanity. In a peaceful valley surrounded by Castilian fields filled with color, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and song, they are in harmony, liberating mind and heart.