The landscape again was fascinating, with red soil alternating with intensive green fields. Soon we reached Santo Domingo de Silos not far from Lerma and Burgos.
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| Plaza Mayor of the little town with 282 inhabitants |
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| Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos |
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| We waited in a queue to get in … |
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| … but then we were in the famous cloister |
This cypress is about 100 years old and 22 metres tall!
Santo Domingo was founded in the 11th century by a monk named Dominikus (Span. Domingo) and supported by Ferdinand I. In this isolated village close to the Camino de Santiago from Valencia to Santiago de Compostela, a massive church and convent was built, but only the cloister survived until today.
The cloister was built by different unknown stonemasons, one trying to outdo the other by even more artistic ornaments and higher craftsmanship.
The Romanesque cloister of the medieval monastery is richly decorated with extraordinary sculptural ornaments. At each of the four cornerstones, image plates tell a part of the story of Christ.
This corner shows Christ wearing a pilgrim’s bag decorated with a shell and accompanied by two disciples. His legs are crossed, indicating a certain inner tension. (The explanations from our guide were in slow and clearly articulated Spanish, so I understood a lot ;-))
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| Chapel on the hill |
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| Flower of the Day |