This Benedictine monastery was founded in the 6th century and by the Middle Ages, it had become one of the wealthiest and powerful monasteries around. It was responsible for providing education to the nobility (boys, anyway) as well as maintaining an important pilgrim’s hospice. The monastery was severely damaged in a fire in 1536 and again in 1951 (which destroyed the library! I almost had a heart attack hearing about that one). Today, the monastery has been rebuilt and includes modern murals along several hallways, a beautiful cloister (apparently the largest in Spain), and some pretty cool religious artifacts. The future of the monastery is a little bit in question, however, as there are only 15 monks and three novices living here, now.
Why you should take the detour to Samos (Spain) on your camino

Wow, Samos was definitely worth the small detour! The monastery looks so neat and interesting. I was surprised when you said it’s still active!
I love the look of this area with the old stone walls covered in moss and vines and just green everywhere, just beautiful. I wish you could have lingered longer too!
Yeah…I’m glad I made the detour, though. If there is one thing I learned on the Camino is that to not have an end date – that way one can linger whenever one wanted!