View source for Saint Dominic of Silos

{{Saints
|SaintName=Saint Dominic of Silos
|SaintStage=Saint
|FeastDay=December 20
|SaintBirthPlace=San Millán de la Cogolla, Navarre (now La Rioja, Spain)
|SaintBirthCoordinates=42.3167, -2.3167
|DeathPlace=Silos Abbey, Silos, Province of Burgos, Castile (now Spain)
|SaintDeathCoordinates=42.3667, -3.4167
|SaintCauseOfDeath=Natural causes
|NotableAddress1=San Millán de la Cogolla Monastery, San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain
|NotableLabel1=Early Benedictine formation
|NotableCoordinates1=42.3167, -2.3167
|NotableAddress2=Monastery of San Sebastián de Silos, Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos, Spain
|NotableLabel2=Abbey reform and superiorate
|NotableCoordinates2=42.3667, -3.4167
|NotableAddress3=Cathedral of Burgos, Plaza de Santa María, 09003 Burgos, Spain
|NotableLabel3=Associated episcopal veneration
|NotableCoordinates3=42.3411, -3.7003
|AssociatedCountries=Spain
|AssociatedDioceses=[[Diocese of Burgos]]
|Canonized=Yes
|CanonizationDate=1250
|Canonizer=Pope Innocent IV
|SaintMiracle1=Restoration of a child's life to a barren couple (traditional)
|SaintMiracle2=Multiple healings at his tomb in Silos
|Profession=Monk; abbot
|ReligiousAffiliation=Benedictine
|Patronage=Aragon; Castile; pregnant women; the unborn; captives; prisoners
|Attributes=Benedictine habit; chains (for prisoners); child in arms
|PrimaryShrine=Monastery of San Sebastián de Silos, Silos, Spain
|ReviewLevel=0
}}
'''Saint Dominic of Silos''', OSB (c. AD 1000 – December 20, 1073), also known as Dominic the Athonite, was an 11th-century Spanish Benedictine monk and abbot of the Monastery of San Sebastián de Silos, venerated for his reforms, miracles aiding barren couples, and liberation of captives during the Reconquista era.<ref name="newadvent">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05071a.htm|title=St. Dominic of Silos|publisher=New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia|access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref> Born in Cañas, Navarre, to a noble family, historical records from the ''Chronicon Silense'' (12th century) confirm his early monastic profession at San Millán de la Cogolla c. AD 1031 under Abbot García, where his austerity and learning led to ordination and elevation as prior.<ref name="wiki">{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_of_Silos|title=Dominic of Silos|publisher=Wikipedia|access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref> Exiled c. AD 1041 by King García Sánchez for defending monastic independence, Dominic founded the reformed community at Silos c. AD 1043, revitalizing the Visigothic abbey with a strict Benedictine rule emphasizing liturgy and manual labor, attracting monks and pilgrims.<ref name="catholic_online">{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=425|title=St. Dominic of Silos|publisher=Catholic Online|access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref> As abbot until death, he ransomed Moorish captives and performed reputed miracles, including restoring life to a child for a barren noblewoman, per local traditions.<ref name="newadvent" />

Dying on December 20, AD 1073, aged ~73, at Silos, Dominic was buried in the abbey church, where immediate healings prompted veneration; canonized c. AD 1250 by Pope Innocent IV amid Castilian devotion, with no formal process detailed, and feast on December 20.<ref name="franciscan">{{Cite web|url=https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-dominic-of-silos|title=Saint Dominic of Silos|publisher=Franciscan Media|access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref> Hagiographic traditions of the child miracle and staff blooming derive from 13th-century vitae rather than contemporaries; patronage of pregnant women and prisoners reflects these legends.<ref name="wiki" /> Venerated primarily in Spain, Dominic's legacy endures at Silos Abbey, a UNESCO site famed for Gregorian chant recordings, drawing pilgrims.<ref name="newadvent" /> As patron of Aragon, Castile, and the unborn, his cult symbolizes monastic renewal in medieval Iberia.

Dominic's influence, verified through Silos charters, bolstered Cluniac reforms; probabilistic Athonite nickname from brief Athos visit unconfirmed, yet his Silos revival authentic.