St. Dominic of Silos (1000-1073) Image: Catholic Online
(EWTN) St. Dominic of Silos, founder of the Order of Preachers was named after this Benedictine Abbot who lived a century before him. According to Dominican tradition, St Dominic of Silos, appeared to Blessed Joan of Aza (Mother of the later St. Dominic) who made a pilgrimage to his shrine before the birth of her Son and named him after the Abbott of Silos.
Dominic of Silos, was born in Spain into a peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields where he welcomed the solitude–he became a Benedictine Priest and served in numerous leadership positions.
Following a dispute with the King over property, Dominic and two other Monks were exiled, they established a new Monastery at what at first seemed an unpromising location, under Dominic’s leadership however, it became one of the most famous houses in Spain–many healings were reported there.
About 100 years after Dominic’s death, a young woman made a pilgrimage to his tomb, there ‘Dominic of Silos’ appeared to her and assured her that she would bear another son. The woman was ‘Joan of Aza’ and the son she gave birth to grew up to be the ‘other’ Dominic–the one who founded the Dominicans.
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