Dominic of Silos

Saint Dominic of Silos was born around the year 1000 in Cañas, La Rioja, Spain, to a humble peasant family. As a young man he tended sheep, learning patience and watchfulness before entering monastic life as a Benedictine at San Millán de la Cogolla. Ordained a priest, he became master of novices and then prior, but his fidelity to justice led to exile when he opposed King García Sánchez III’s attempt to seize monastic lands. In 1041, under the protection of King Ferdinand I of León, Dominic found refuge at the nearly ruined Abbey of St. Sebastian in Silos, where only a handful of monks remained. Appointed abbot, he renewed the community in prayer and discipline, inspired by the reforms of Cluny, and rebuilt the monastery with beautiful Romanesque cloisters. He fostered learning through a scriptorium, supported charity through skilled workshops, ransomed Christians held captive, and became renowned for healings. He is venerated as patron of prisoners, pregnant women, and shepherds, and is especially honored in Santo Domingo de Silos and Alcalá la Real. His feast day is December 20.