The Monastery of Silos is located on the eastern side of a small valley in the great Castilian meseta. The earliest known document held in the Silos Archive dates back to 954. The prosperity experienced by the monastery was largely due to Santo Domingo de Silos, who gave the place its name and who went there in 1041 after leaving his post as prior at San Millán de la Cogolla. In fact, the figure of the Abbot Domingo de Silos gained such magnetism that, after his death, the monastery became a place of pilgrimage due to the miracles performed by the Saint. The influx of pilgrims and the growing activity led to subsequent extensions to the monastery until the final complex reached a considerable size.
