Gardens at the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos

Santo Domingo de Silos is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic monasteries in the whole of Spain. Its cloister, one of the finest examples of the Spanish Romanesque style, was the nerve centre of the secluded monastic life and the cradle of botanical and medical knowledge during the Middle Ages. The monastery is situated on the eastern side of a small valley, next to the River Mataviejas, and is built on the site of Visigothic monastic establishments from the 7th century, although it experienced its hour of glory thanks to Saint Dominic, after whom it is named. Nowadays, the cloister has lost is garden and is mainly covered by grass, but it remains famous for the cypress tree that is thought to have been planted in 1882 by one of the French Benedictine monks visiting at the time.