Samos, Galicia

Samos is a village in the municipality of Samos in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is home to an abbey, the Real Abadía de Samos, and the Benedictine monastery of San Xulián de Samos. Pilgrims on the Way of St. James to Compostela often pass through Samos to visit the abbey and monastery. There is a refuge that the pilgrims can use freely at the monastery.

The Monastery of San Xulián de Samos

Samos is bordered in the north by the municipality of Láncara; in the south by Folgoso do Courel and A Pobra do Brollón; in the east by Triacastela, Pedrafita do Cebreiro and Folgoso do Courel; and in the west by Sarria and O Incio. Samos belongs to the judicial party of Sarria and to the diocese (province of the Church) of Lugo.

Samos is near the eastern mountains of Galicia (the mountains of Lóuzara, Serra do Oribio and Mountains of Albola). The mean altitude is over 700 m and the highest elevation is the mountain of O Oribio at 1,443 m. The Sarria River, a tributary of the Miño River, collects water from the western slopes of the mountains; the Lóuzara River drains the eastern slopes, flowing to the Lor River and then to the Sil River. There are three well-differentiated areas: the central one, where the population is mainly located; the north area, more open and with smooth slopes, and Lóuzara, the southern area, with mountains and valleys.

The thermic oscillation is high (13°C), with cold winters, when the fields are frequently frozen. Annual rainfall ranges from 900 to 1,500 mm per year.

The municipality extends over 136 km² and the nearest town is Lugo, 43 km away.

Coordinates: 42°43′50″N 7°19′36″W / 42.7306°N 7.3267°W