A further walk up the hill took us to the Convent of A Magdelena founded at the beginning of the 13th century as a pilgrim hospital by Italian monks of the Order of the Blessed Martyrs of Jesus. These monks were also pilgrims. The stonework floor was arresting.
Then a taxi to the Monastery of San Xulian de Samos, a Benedictine house founded in the 6th century which has been providing assistance to peregrinos ever since. Even today there is an albergue. We were toured by a rotund monk, who must have originally trained as a stand-up comic. He was born in La Mancha, and joined the order 26 years ago. He is now 46, and has been giving tours here for 23 years. As he walked us around the splendid halls, silence reigned when he wasn't talking. Nothing moved. We asked our guide how many monks lived in the monastery. "Now there are 8, although in the 19th century there were 100, and they produced and sold liqueur."
One of the more surprising aspects of this monumental monastery was the frescoes. Not the ones in the chapel, but the modern ones that adorned the hallways. Take a look. Is this artistic sensibility or sublimation?
From the sublime of the Benedictines we taxied to Portomarin. A walk through the town showed the increased commercialization of the Camino we had first seen in Sarria.
And several souvenir shops that seemed to compete in reaching new heights of tacky. We especially liked the pocket knife in the shape of a foot.
And that's it. Jessica's foot is better, and we are looking forward to getting on the road again tomorrow. More to come.
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