The founder of the Benedictine Order is represented half-length, wearing a black habit and holding a sumptuous crosier of silver, gold and semi-precious stones. This work is from El Greco's first period in Spain. The figure is solidly modeled and the brushstrokes contrast brilliantly with the sketchy background.

The work comes from the dismantled altarpiece of the Convent Church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. This same altarpiece is the origin of The Trinity (P00824), where it was paired with Saint Bernard (now lost), the founder of the Cistercian Order to which that convent belongs.