The Monastery of San Xulián de Samos is an active Benedictine monastery in Samos, province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. It was founded in the sixth century.
The monastery was the School of Theology and Philosophy. It is also an important stop on the Way of Saint James, a pilgrimage leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great.
The baroque abbey church was built between 1734 and 1748. It has a Latin cross plan and three naves. The interior is bright and solemn. The vault is illuminated by eight oculi and the paintings of the four Benedictine Marian doctors (Anselmo, Bernardo, Ildefonso and Ruperto).
The Large Cloister was built between 1685 and 1689 and has 3,000m², making it the largest in Spain. It is known as “Father Feijoo”. The style is an austere and simple combination of classicism and Herrerianism: nine semicircular arches on each side on the ground floor, Doric columns on the first two floors and Ionic columns on the windows of the third. The walls of the upper floor were decorated with scenes from the life of Saint Benedict and are the work of Enrique Navarro, Celia Cortés and José Luis Rodríguez.
How to get to?
From Lugo 47 min (47.0 km) via Carr. Lugo-Monforte/CG-2.2 and LU-633
From Santiago de Compostela 1 hr 53 min (141 km) via A-54
From Madrid 4 hr 45 min (472 km) via A-6
Address: Abadía-Monasterio de Benedictinos, 27620 Samos, Lugo, Spain
