Dominic of Silos
Castilian abbot who ransomed hundreds of captives from the Moors; Saint Dominic was conceived after prayer at his tomb.
- Middle Ages
- Spain
- Feast day December 20
- c. 1000 – 1073
- Monk
- Priest
- Hermit
Listen to the life 0:43
A Navarrese shepherd turned monk, Dominic was driven out by King García of Navarre for refusing to hand over his monastery's goods. Ferdinand I of Castile received him and gave him the ruined abbey of San Sebastián de Silos, which he restored and made a centre of Romanesque art — the cloister of Silos remains one of the finest in Spain. He spent its revenues ransoming Christians held captive in Muslim lands, more than three hundred according to the chronicles. A century after his death, Joan of Aza came to pray at his tomb for a son: she named him Dominic, and he founded the Order of Preachers.
