Church of Santo Domingo de Silos, Daroca

Plaza de Santo Domingo 50360

CURRENT PROTECTION STATUS: Asset of Cultural Interest (ACI)

TYPE OF ASSET: Property

CATEGORY: Religious

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Transition from Romanesque to Mudejar

CONSTRUCTION DATE:

The original building dates from the 12th century, and it was rebuilt in the 18th century. A fire prompted the reconstruction of the church between 1700 and 1741. Its orientation was shifted and a building with three naves and rib vaulting was constructed. The church was decorated in the Baroque style. The presbytery was covered by a dome resting on pendentives and decorated with Baroque mural paintings, and other new elements such as the choir and organ were added.
The construction of the church of Santo Domingo de Silos in Daroca dates back to the mid-12th century. Work initially began in the Romanesque era but was suspended for some time. The church faced east and the apse originally had a semicircular floorplan.

When construction resumed in the 13th century, the structure of the apse was modified to give it a polygonal shape. In the mid-13th century, coinciding with the construction of the apse of San Juan de la Cuesta, it was decided to continue building the tower in the Mudejar style, substituting stone for brick. This structure is considered the oldest remaining construction of its kind in Aragon.

Throughout the 14th century, the original Romanesque church was modified and transformed into a hall church layout attached to the apse and tower. It has a rectangular footprint with three naves and three bays covered by rib vaults resting on octagonal columns. There is a polygonal apse at the east end and the sides have straight ends.
In the 18th century a fire destroyed virtually the entire nave volume, with only the apse, tower, wood choir and the altarpiece dedicated to the church’s patron saint, done by Bartolomé de Bermejo, left standing. At that time, the decision was made to create a new nave volume in the Baroque style. The orientation was shifted so that the church would face west-east, leaving the former polygonal apse and Mudejar tower at the west end of the new building.

The exterior is divided into two parts as a result of the change in building materials, with the bottom part constructed of ashlars and the upper section made of brick. The upper section features openings separated in the middle by a cylindrical column that acts as the springing line for mixtilinear arches. These arches are framed and finished by two trilobed arches, with a secondary frame consisting of a lintel with bricks arranged vertically. Finally, there is a second level of openings featuring round arches on which another double arch rests.

The tower dates from the mid-13th century. It is a square-plan structure initially constructed using ashlars, and the interior houses a spiral staircase. The second phase of the tower was built of brick, leaving the interior hollow. The interior is divided into two rooms covered by rib vaults with round diagonal arches. These two rooms are connected by a spiral staircase located in a corner of the tower.

Interventions

Restoration, 20th to 21st century

In the restoration from 1960, the ancient south portal, an essential part of the original church, was eliminated. A new space was also created on the Gospel side to render the layout more symmetrical, thus completely changing the outer appearance of the temple, especially the portal.

Projects and interventions

Projects and interventions, and the driving forces behind them, define the history of monumental buildings and how they are perceived.

Declarations

Declaration, 21st century

The church of Santo Domingo de Silos in Daroca was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest under the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Decree of June 3, 1931 published in the Gazette on June 4, 1931. The Official Gazette of Aragon (BOA) dated March 11, 2002 published the Department of Culture and Tourism Order of February 22, 2002, whereby the original declaration of the church as an Asset of Cultural Interest is supplemented pursuant to Transitional Provision One of Aragonese Cultural Heritage Act 3/1999, of March 10, defining the movable assets and the environment affected by the declaration.

Bibliography

CORRAL LAFUENTE, José Luis. Historia de Daroca. Daroca: Centro de Estudios Darocenses, 1983. GARCÍA GUINEA, Miguel Ángel; Pérez González, José María. (dir.). Enciclopedia del Románico en Aragón: Zaragoza. Aguilar de Campoo: Fundación Santa María la Real, 2010. 

HERMOSO CUESTA, Miguel. El arte aragonés fuera de Aragón. Un patrimonio disperso. Zaragoza: Gobierno de Aragón, 2009. 

IBÁÑEZ FERNÁNDEZ, Javier; Martín Marco, Jorge. Del “salón” al “falso salón”: Las reformas de la iglesia de Santo Domingo de Silos de Daroca (Zaragoza) durante la Edad Moderna. Artigrama. 2017 , nº 32, p. 287-317. 

MAÑAS BALLESTÍN, Fabián. Bartolomé Bermejo en la Daroca del siglo XV. Xiloca. 2019 , nº 47, p. 221-244.

ORTIZ VALERO, Nuria. Martín Bernat, pintor de retablos, documentado en Zaragoza entre 1450 y 1505. Zaragoza: Institución Fernando el Católico, 2013.

SANMIGUEL MATEO, Agustín. Torres de ascendencia islámica en las comarcas de Calatayud y Daroca. Aragón (España). Calatayud: Centro de Estudios Bilbilitanos, 1998.

TORRES BALBÁS, Leopoldo. La arquitectura mudéjar en Aragón: Las iglesias de Daroca. Archivo Español de Arte. 1952 , nº XXV, p. 209-221.

OLIVAN BAYLE, F. Daroca. Ciudad del Santo Misterio, CAZAR, Zaragoza, 1973.

VV.AA. Campo de Daroca, Colección RUTAS-CAI por Aragón nº 27, Zaragoza, 2005.

VV.AA. Comarca del Campo de Daroca, Colección Territorio 8, Diputación General de Aragón, 2003.

VV.AA. Tierra Mudéjar. El mudéjar aragonés, Patrimonio Mundial, Heraldo de Aragón. D.L., 2002.

VV.AA. El Arte Mudéjar. La estética islámica en el arte cristiano, Madrid, 2000.

Appendixes

Church of Santo Domingo de Silos

Plaza de Santo Domingo
50360 Daroza (Zaragoza)

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City Hall: 976 800 312
www.daroca.es
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