Moraime

How long to stay?

A rest is enough. Moraime is not a village to arrive in, but a church on the way, barely an hour from the goal. Take time for the portal and, if the door is open, for the paintings inside. You can stay overnight here, but most walk the last kilometers to Muxía anyway.

Moraime in Ninja numbers

• 3.6 kilometers remain to Muxía, 4.5 to the Santuario da Virxe da Barca.
• 83.1 kilometers behind you lies the cathedral of Santiago.
• 14 years old was Alfonso Raimúndez, the later King Alfonso VII, when he had the monastery rebuilt in 1119 with a donation.

Arriving: beyond Os Muíños

A good kilometer beyond Os Muíños, the last village with a shop and pharmacy, you stand in front of the church. The path here may be overgrown. Moraime consists essentially of the church, the parish house and a few houses.

In brief: a monastery, destroyed more than once

The monastery was dedicated to the Benedictines and to Saint Julian, San Xiao in Galician. In 1105 Norman pirates raided the coast and destroyed it, and later attackers from the sea did so once more. In 1119 the young Alfonso Raimúndez, who had grown up in this area and later became Alfonso VII, King of León and Castile, helped with the rebuilding through a donation. Today's church dates from the 12th century and stands over an older necropolis; excavations since 1972 also found Roman remains. The parish house next to it was added in the 18th century.

The church: what to see

• San Xulián de Moraime: A Romanesque church with three naves and three apses. At the main portal figures surround the Savior; they recall the Pórtico de la Gloria of the cathedral of Santiago. If you have seen it there, you will recognize the kinship. On the south wall, the old access to the monastery, the Last Supper is shown. Inside on the north wall old paintings survive: the seven deadly sins and death, their age uncertain. We couldn't find opening hours; the portal you can always see.

Honestly

• The church is often closed. We couldn't find reliable opening hours.
• No food on site. There is no restaurant nearby. If you sleep here, bring your food from Os Muíños.
• The way there may be overgrown. Long trousers help.

Where pilgrims sleep

There is no public hostel in Moraime. The private Hostel Monasterio de Moraime is in a restored building, a dorm bed costs from €14 (as of October 2026). It has no proper kitchen. There is also the Pensión de Moraime.

Ninja tips

• Shop in Os Muíños. Shop, bakery and pharmacy are a good kilometer before Moraime; after that nothing comes until Muxía.
• Look closely at the portal. If you saw the Pórtico de la Gloria in Santiago, you will recognize the kinship.
• Save some strength for the last climb. Beyond Moraime it goes up once more to the chapel of San Roque, before the way drops to the sea.

Onward: the last hill before Muxía

From Moraime the way climbs to the Capela de San Roque at 109 meters, then goes via Chorente down to the beaches on the edge of Muxía. After 3.6 kilometers you are in the village, after 4.5 at the Santuario da Virxe da Barca, the end of the Camiño a Muxía.

Deep dive: The monastery before the sea

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Moraime. About two minutes' reading.

A monastery on a dangerous coast

Moraime lies only a few kilometers from the sea. In the Middle Ages that was no advantage. In 1105 Norman pirates came and destroyed the monastery, and later attackers from the sea did so once more. The Benedictines, who served Saint Julian here, rebuilt each time.

A prince of fourteen years

In 1119 the monastery received help from a boy. Alfonso Raimúndez was fourteen years old, grew up in this area and was raised by one of the most powerful nobles of Galicia. With his donation the monastery was rebuilt. Later he became King of León and Castile and called himself Emperor of Spain. The church you see was built in his century.

What the walls tell

At the portal figures stand around the Redeemer, recalling the famous portal of the cathedral of Santiago. On the south side, where the monks once went into the monastery, the Last Supper is carved in stone. And inside, on the north wall, someone painted the seven deadly sins and death. When, nobody knows exactly.

What Moraime gives you

You are barely an hour from the goal. Here stands a church that was destroyed from the sea more than once and rebuilt each time. Soon you will go down to that sea, where your way ends.