ABSTRACT
After the death of Abbot Domingo of Silos in 1073, Silos became a destination for those seeking thaumaturgic cures. The influx of pilgrims required alterations to the monastery to accommodate supplicants. This paper examines those adjustments and the resulting artworks. Domingo’s remains were translated to a chapel within the monastic church, and the original site of his burial in the cloister was marked by a cenotaph. The interior chapel was accessed by the public through a portico and portal in the north church wall. This portal was adorned with a tympanum whose imagery celebrates faith: the recognition of the Infant Jesus as the Messiah by midwives, adoring shepherds, and the Three Kings. At the centre, Mary and Joseph in the Temple present the Infant to Simeon, who joyously receives the Child Messiah. Pilgrims could recognize their own journey in these monumental figures. The imagery expresses an important concept often recorded in the saint’s miracles: that one must approach the sacred with faithful mind, without which there can be no miracle.
