This Spanish poet was born toward the end of the 12th Century in Berce, a village situated in the kingdom of Castile. A secular priest, he held his first position in the monastery of San Millán de Suso, and later in the monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla and Santo Domingo de Silos. The first-known Spanish poet, Berceo adhered to the mester de clerecía (craft of the clergy) literary form, based on Medieval Latin sources and rearranged so as to have a wider range of readers.

His texts are some of the most simple, exquisite works ever written in religious literature. The piece entitled "Milagros de Nuestra Señora" is regarded as his master piece, and other texts include "El martirio de San Lorenzo" and "Vida de Santo Domingo de Silos". Berceo died in the mid 13th Century.