Dominic de la Calzada
Encyclopedia
Saint Dominic de la Calzada (or Dominic of the Causeway) (May 12, 1019–1109) was a saint
from a cottage in Burgos
very close to La Rioja
. Born Domingo García in Viloria de Rioja
, he was the son of a peasant named Ximeno García. His mother was named Orodulce.
He repeatedly tried to join the Benedictine order at Valvanera and San Millán de la Cogolla, but was turned away. He then became a hermit
in the forests near Ayuela, near the present-day town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
, until 1039. In 1039, he began working with Gregory IV of Ostia (Gregorio), bishop of Ostia
, who had been sent to Calahorra
as a papal envoy to combat a plague of locusts that afflicted Navarre
and La Rioja
.
Gregory ordained Dominic a priest. They built together a wooden bridge over the Oja River
to help pilgrims
on the Way of St. James
. Gregory died in 1044, and Dominic returned to Ayuela, where he began developing the area. He cleared trees, cultivated the earth, and began to build a paved causeway (in Spanish, calzada), which served as an alternate route to the traditional Roman
causeway between Logroño
and Burgos
. Dominic’s causeway became the principal route between Nájera
and Redecilla del Camino
.
To better the conditions of the pilgrims that began to use his new causeway, he replaced the wooden bridge that he had built with Gregory with one made of stone, and constructed a building that was at once hospital
, well, and church, which attended to the needs of the travelers. Today, it is the Casa del Santo, which is a used as a hostel
by modern day pilgrims. Due to the development of these public works he is the Patron Saint
of the Spanish Civil Engineer
s.
annexed La Rioja in 1076 and seeing that Dominic’s efforts contributed to the Castilianization of the region, decided to support him and his projects. He visited Dominic in 1090 and thereafter Dominic, assisted by his follower Juan de Ortega, began construction on a church dedicated to Christ
and the Virgin Mary. This was consecrated by the bishop of Calahorra in 1106.
The town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada began as a few houses built around the hermitage of the saint in his lifetime. At this death in 1109, the village had grown in population. Dominic's church, later the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
, was where he was buried, and it was elevated to the rank of cathedral after being placed in the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Calahorra in the 1230s.
knight
who had been possessed by the devil
and who was freed of his affliction by visiting the sepulcher of the saint. Another concerns the healing of a German pilgrim named Bernard in the fifteenth century, who was cured of an affliction of the eyes by visiting the saint’s tomb. Another concerns the healing of a blind Norman
who was cured when he visited the cathedral.
The most famous miracle, however, concerns that of the rooster and the chicken, which is said to have taken place at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The story goes that in the 14th century, a German 18-year old named Hugonell, from Xanten
, goes on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying makes sexual advances toward Hugonell; Hugonell rejects her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German’s bag and then informs the authorities that the youth had taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to the gallows
, in accordance with the laws of Alfonso X of Castile
.
The parents sadly decide to examine their son’s body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly hear his voice –he tells them that Saint Dominic has saved his life. His parents quickly make their way to Santiago de Compostela to see the magistrate. The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner, remarks: “Your son is as alive as this rooster and chicken that I was feasting on before you interrupted me.” And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.
, or to the Virgin Mary, with the story taking place in various cities. Versions of the tale are found in the Milagros de Nuestra Señora by Gonzalo de Berceo
(Miracle No. 6), the 175th Cantiga de Santa María
by Alfonso X, and in the Codex Calixtinus
. The second part of the tale, the miracle of the dancing roasted chicken and rooster, is unique to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, though the notion can be found in folklore
concerning the mythical land of Cockaigne
, "where grilled geese fly directly into one's mouth," or otherwise move about on their own accord. No, the partents of Hugpnell went to Santiago and it was on their return that the miracle of the white cock and hen occurred.
In memory of Dominic's miracle, a rooster and chicken, with white feathers, are kept alive at the cathedral all year round (they are called descendants of the original birds who miraculously danced even though roasted); they are maintained by means of donations and a different rooster and chicken are switched each month. The pairs of roosters and chickens, when they are not at the cathedral, are kept in a chicken coop
maintained by the Cofradía de Santo Domingo (Confraternity of Santo Domingo), called the Gallinero de Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A wayside shrine (hornacina) built in 1445 holds a relic
associated with the miracle: a piece of wood from the gallows from which Hugonell was hanged.
The pilgrims gathered the feathers of these favored birds, or they got them from the priest, and they would affix them to their hats. It was also said that if the birds ate breadcrumbs directly from the end of the pilgrim’s staff that the pilgrim would arrive safely in Compostela.
The German pilgrim Hermann Künig (15th century) claims to have seen the room where the roasted birds began to sing and dance; other documents written by pilgrims state that Hugonell’s shirt had been conserved by the church of Santo Domingo and that the gallows themselves were conserved there as well. These artifacts are now lost.
A verse commemorating this miracle runs: “Santo Domingo de la Calzada / Donde cantó la gallina después de asada.”
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
from a cottage in Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
very close to La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
. Born Domingo García in Viloria de Rioja
Viloria de Rioja
Viloria de Rioja is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 62 inhabitants. It was the birthplace of Saint Dominic de la Calzada ....
, he was the son of a peasant named Ximeno García. His mother was named Orodulce.
He repeatedly tried to join the Benedictine order at Valvanera and San Millán de la Cogolla, but was turned away. He then became a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
in the forests near Ayuela, near the present-day town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a municipality in La Rioja, Spain, situated on the banks of the Oja River. Its name refers to its founder, Dominic de la Calzada, who built a bridge, hospital, and hotel here for pilgrims on the Way of St. James. The town's Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada...
, until 1039. In 1039, he began working with Gregory IV of Ostia (Gregorio), bishop of Ostia
Bishop of Ostia
The Bishop of Ostia is the head of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia, one of the seven suburbicarian sees of Rome. The position is now attached to the post of Dean of the College of Cardinals, as it has been since 1150, with the actual governance of the diocese entrusted to the Vicar General of...
, who had been sent to Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
as a papal envoy to combat a plague of locusts that afflicted Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
and La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
.
Gregory ordained Dominic a priest. They built together a wooden bridge over the Oja River
Oja River
Rio Oja is a river in the La Rioja province of northern Spain. It flows through the Oja Valley past the town and municipality of Ezcaray. It is generally accepted to have given its name to the famous wine of the Rioja DO, although there are other theories. The Oja flows into the Tirón River east...
to help pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
on the Way of St. James
Way of St. James
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....
. Gregory died in 1044, and Dominic returned to Ayuela, where he began developing the area. He cleared trees, cultivated the earth, and began to build a paved causeway (in Spanish, calzada), which served as an alternate route to the traditional Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
causeway between Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
and Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
. Dominic’s causeway became the principal route between Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
and Redecilla del Camino
Redecilla del Camino
Redecilla del Camino is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 148 inhabitants....
.
To better the conditions of the pilgrims that began to use his new causeway, he replaced the wooden bridge that he had built with Gregory with one made of stone, and constructed a building that was at once hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, well, and church, which attended to the needs of the travelers. Today, it is the Casa del Santo, which is a used as a hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
by modern day pilgrims. Due to the development of these public works he is the Patron Saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the Spanish Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
s.
Dominic and Alfonso VI
Alfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
annexed La Rioja in 1076 and seeing that Dominic’s efforts contributed to the Castilianization of the region, decided to support him and his projects. He visited Dominic in 1090 and thereafter Dominic, assisted by his follower Juan de Ortega, began construction on a church dedicated to Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and the Virgin Mary. This was consecrated by the bishop of Calahorra in 1106.
The town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada began as a few houses built around the hermitage of the saint in his lifetime. At this death in 1109, the village had grown in population. Dominic's church, later the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Not to be confused with the Cathedral of Santo Domingo , in Peru.The Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada is located in the village of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, in La Rioja, Spain. It is dedicated to the 12th century Saint Dominic de la Calzada...
, was where he was buried, and it was elevated to the rank of cathedral after being placed in the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Calahorra in the 1230s.
Miracles
Miracles are attributed to Dominic, among them the healing of a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
who had been possessed by the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
and who was freed of his affliction by visiting the sepulcher of the saint. Another concerns the healing of a German pilgrim named Bernard in the fifteenth century, who was cured of an affliction of the eyes by visiting the saint’s tomb. Another concerns the healing of a blind Norman
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
who was cured when he visited the cathedral.
The most famous miracle, however, concerns that of the rooster and the chicken, which is said to have taken place at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The story goes that in the 14th century, a German 18-year old named Hugonell, from Xanten
Xanten
Xanten is a historic town in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, located in the district of Wesel.Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park or archaeological open air museum , its medieval picturesque city centre with Xanten Cathedral and many museums, its large man-made lake for...
, goes on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying makes sexual advances toward Hugonell; Hugonell rejects her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German’s bag and then informs the authorities that the youth had taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
, in accordance with the laws of Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
.
The parents sadly decide to examine their son’s body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly hear his voice –he tells them that Saint Dominic has saved his life. His parents quickly make their way to Santiago de Compostela to see the magistrate. The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner, remarks: “Your son is as alive as this rooster and chicken that I was feasting on before you interrupted me.” And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.
Analysis of the story of Dominic's miracle
The first element of the tale, that of a hanged pilgrim, is found in many collections of miracles, with the salvation from death of the victim attributed to not only Dominic, but also to Saint James the GreatSaint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
, or to the Virgin Mary, with the story taking place in various cities. Versions of the tale are found in the Milagros de Nuestra Señora by Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo was a Spanish poet born in the Riojan village of Berceo, close to the major Benedictine monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla...
(Miracle No. 6), the 175th Cantiga de Santa María
Cantigas de Santa Maria
The Cantigas de Santa Maria are 420 poems with musical notation, written in Galician-Portuguese during the reign of Alfonso X El Sabio and often attributed to him....
by Alfonso X, and in the Codex Calixtinus
Codex Calixtinus
The Codex Calixtinus is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript formerly attributed to Pope Callixtus II, though now believed to have been arranged by the French scholar Aymeric Picaud. The principal author is actually given as 'Scriptor I'....
. The second part of the tale, the miracle of the dancing roasted chicken and rooster, is unique to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, though the notion can be found in folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
concerning the mythical land of Cockaigne
Cockaigne
Cockaigne or Cockayne is a medieval mythical land of plenty, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist...
, "where grilled geese fly directly into one's mouth," or otherwise move about on their own accord. No, the partents of Hugpnell went to Santiago and it was on their return that the miracle of the white cock and hen occurred.
Veneration
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
maintained by the Cofradía de Santo Domingo (Confraternity of Santo Domingo), called the Gallinero de Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A wayside shrine (hornacina) built in 1445 holds a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
associated with the miracle: a piece of wood from the gallows from which Hugonell was hanged.
The pilgrims gathered the feathers of these favored birds, or they got them from the priest, and they would affix them to their hats. It was also said that if the birds ate breadcrumbs directly from the end of the pilgrim’s staff that the pilgrim would arrive safely in Compostela.
The German pilgrim Hermann Künig (15th century) claims to have seen the room where the roasted birds began to sing and dance; other documents written by pilgrims state that Hugonell’s shirt had been conserved by the church of Santo Domingo and that the gallows themselves were conserved there as well. These artifacts are now lost.
A verse commemorating this miracle runs: “Santo Domingo de la Calzada / Donde cantó la gallina después de asada.”
External links
- St. Dominic de la Calzada
- Saints of May 12
- Santo Domingo de la Calzada
- St. Dominic de la Calzada page at the Christian Iconography web site Santo Domingo de la Calzada