Monasterio de Samos
Key facts
- Type
- Monastery
- Religious order
- Benedictine
- Era
- 6th Century
- Architectural style
- Baroque
- Founded
- 560
- Current status
- Active
- Location
- Samos, Lugo
- Province
- Lugo
- Region
- Galicia
One of the oldest monasteries in the Western world with continuous monastic life, featuring two cloisters — including Spain's largest — and connections to the Camino de Santiago.
Highlights
- One of the oldest in the Western world
- Spain's largest cloister
- On the Camino de Santiago
- 1,400+ years of monastic life
More Monasteries in Galicia
- Monasterio de Oseira — Cistercian, 12th Century. Known as 'the Galician Escorial' for its grand scale, this Cistercian monastery in the Ourense mountains has been continuously inhabited by monks for nearly 900 years.
- Monasterio de Sobrado dos Monxes — Cistercian, 10th Century. A massive Cistercian monastery on the Camino de Santiago with a Baroque church of extraordinary proportions. Refounded in 1966, it once again houses a Trappist community.
- Monasterio de Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil — Benedictine, 10th Century. A spectacular monastery perched above the Sil river canyon, now a luxury Parador hotel. Its three cloisters span from Romanesque to Baroque, and nine bishops reportedly retired here.
- San Martín Pinario — Benedictine, 10th Century. The second-largest monastery in Spain after El Escorial, dominating the northern side of the Plaza de la Inmaculada in Santiago de Compostela. Its Baroque façade rivals the Cathedral.
Explore nearby: Galicia guide · Lugo province · Castles of Lugo