Marijuán González
Santo Domingo de Silos is a small village of Burgos, with a population of 165 inhabitants. It is named after Saint Domingo, who was a hermit, an abbot and a restorer who lived in the abbey of the village. In 1088 he died and was buried inside the church, which had been built by him a few years before. Today this abbey is everything to the village.
The art, history, and cloister attract thousands of tourists to the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos. I have been there several times. My parents took me for the first time eight years ago and the only things that called my attention were the souvenir shops outside the abbey. The last time I visited it, six months ago, it was completely different. It was the quietness and beauty of the place what called my attention.
It´s impossible for me to make a detailed description of the abbey. The cloister is magnificent. It has ninety-six arches, each one with its capital. All the capitals are different and unique: It is a museum of medieval sculpture in itself.
Inside the cloister there is a nice garden with different plants and flowers, and near the middle there is the landmark of the abbey : the cypress which inspired Gerardo de Diego to compose his well-known sonnet.
That view also inspired me. Everything was still, without movement, so I stopped, and the only thing I could hear was the sound of "silence". It was a magical moment.
Apart from the cloister and the chapel in the abbey something you can' t miss is to listen to the monks singing live the Gregorian chants. They sing at the services several times every day. People wait quietly and patiently inside the church until the monks are in the choir, pray for a while and then sing some Gregorian chants. When you listen to them you are transported to old times and are fascinated to listen in silence to the beautiful sounds of the Gregorian era.
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