They say that part of the journey of the Camino involves the inner journey ~ one of being still and in silent meditation, as opposed to the daily traverse from town to town. It was rather difficult at first to be in the tiny town of Santo Domingo de Silos as there was nothing else to see or do but attend Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours (in Latin and Spanish) at the 18th-C Church of San Sebastian, where the monks celebrated by singing Gregorian chants with the public. The motive to visit Santo Domingo de Silos, I was reminded, was not to see but to be and to connect with God and the inner self.
I couldn't remember the last time I attended two Masses and received Holy Communion in the same morning. The first Mass I attended was at the 9 am Mass with the monks and then again at noon with the community of Santo Domingo de Silos, in celebration of the Feast of St. Isabella. The former was solemn and the latter, festive; the contrast was thought-provoking. I realized now that everything in life is about balance. We are part of a community, not apart and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As the monks rely on the public for subsistence (they sell cookies through the hotel restaurant to raise funds, among other things), the town relies on the monks for a prayerful and centered life. So simple and beautiful.
I also attended the 1:45 pm, 7 pm, and 9:40 pm Liturgy of the Hours at the Cathedral. The more services I attended, the more calm and at peace I became. The other attraction was the Monastery's 11th-C Cloister, which opened at 10 am. It's definitely worth a visit (the entrance fee was 3.50 euros).
Above: I couldn't resist recording a snippet of the Gregorian chants even though no photography or recording was allowed inside the Cathedral
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