Saint Dominic of Silos did not hesitate to come forward to deny the king what he asked for: “You can kill the body and the flesh, you can make people suffer, but over the soul you have no power. The gospel has told me so, and to him I must believe that only the one who can cast the soul into hell should I fear”.
The king of Navarre, full of indignation, banished Abbot Dominic. Upon learning what had happened, King Ferdinand I of Castile sent for him to entrust him with the monastery of Silos, located in a remote place, almost in ruins and considered “sterile” due to the absence of vocations.
Dominic was in charge of returning to that monastery the spiritual prestige that the monks had lost and the joy of living for God. The saint proved to be a magnificent administrator and restorer.