Santo Domingo de Silos: The Cloister and the Chant
Castilla y León, Spain
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Claustro de Silos
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250
XP
+100 Spain
= 350 total
1 day
Santo Domingo de Silos: The Cloister and the Chant
250 + 100 XP
A document of 954 in the monastery archive is the first mention of San Sebastián de Silos. Under Domingo, made abbot in the 11th century, a Romanesque church of three naves and five apses was consecrated in 1088 and the cloister was built. The Baroque period demolished the church and replaced it with what stands now; the cloister survived only because the money ran out. It is one of the masterpieces of Spanish Romanesque, and the monks still sing the office in Gregorian chant, which is the other reason to be here.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk the cloister and work out that it survived because the community could not afford to rebuild it
2
of 5
Look at the carved capitals and the corner reliefs, which are the reason it is called a masterpiece
3
of 5
Go to an office and hear the community sing Gregorian chant, which is a daily thing here and not a performance
4
of 5
Find the surviving fragments of the Romanesque church — the south transept arm and the Puerta de las Vírgenes
5
of 5
Work out how far back the documentation goes: a charter of 954 in the monastery's own archive
Walk the cloister and work out that it survived because the community could not afford to rebuild it
Look at the carved capitals and the corner reliefs, which are the reason it is called a masterpiece
Go to an office and hear the community sing Gregorian chant, which is a daily thing here and not a performance
Find the surviving fragments of the Romanesque church — the south transept arm and the Puerta de las Vírgenes
Work out how far back the documentation goes: a charter of 954 in the monastery's own archive
Before you go
The cloister is visited at set hours only. This is a working monastery — the offices are services, not concerts.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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