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Spiritual retreat in Spain

From Catalonia to Galicia, Spain has hundreds of monasteries, and many open their guesthouse to those looking for a few days of silence and prayer. Several lie on the Camino de Santiago, where welcoming pilgrims is an old tradition.

This page brings together the places for a spiritual retreat in Spain listed on RITRIT, kept up to date: first the houses where you can send a stay request online, then the other communities in the directory.

These places welcome everyone, believer or not, with a free-will contribution according to your means.

1 place for a retreat

See these places on the map

Benedictine Monastery of León - Santa María de Carbajal

León · Castille-et-León

Located in the heart of León, in Castille-et-León (Spain), the Santa María de Carbajal monastery is a community of Benedictine nuns situated on the Camino de Santiago. This place offers the opportunity to experience an authentic Christian spiritual retreat, sharing in the daily life of a living monastic community. Guests can enjoy a spiritual retreat shaped by prayer, silence, work, and fraternal life, in a setting that is both urban and deeply contemplative.

BenedictinesNuns

Other addresses

Other communities are also present in the region. They are not part of RITRIT, but each has its own place, its own history and its own way of living out its vocation.

Why go on a retreat in Spain?

A retreat in Spain means sharing a few days in the life of a community that has prayed in the same place for centuries, often in the heart of the Castilian countryside or the mountains of Navarre and Catalonia.

On RITRIT, you can book at the monastery of Santa María de Carbajal, in León. About twenty Benedictine nuns live there, in the middle of the city, on the Camino de Santiago.

The directory also lists the country's great abbeys: Montserrat in Catalonia, Santo Domingo de Silos near Burgos, known for its Gregorian chant, the Cistercian monastery of Poblet, San Salvador de Leyre in Navarre, Samos and Oseira in Galicia.

Depending on the place, you can come alone, in a group or with your family, for a day, a weekend or several days, in silence or with spiritual guidance.

On RITRIT, sending a stay request is free.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I go on a spiritual retreat in Spain?

In León, the Benedictine monastery of Santa María de Carbajal welcomes retreatants and can be booked on RITRIT. The directory at the bottom of the page lists more than a hundred other communities, from Catalonia (Montserrat, Poblet) to Castile (Silos, Cardeña), from Navarre (Leyre, La Oliva) to Galicia (Samos, Oseira, Sobrado).

Can I go on a retreat on the Camino de Santiago?

Yes. The monastery of Santa María de Carbajal is in the heart of León, on the Camino de Santiago. In Galicia, the abbey of Samos, listed in the directory, is also on one of the routes of the Camino.

Do I need to speak Spanish to go on a retreat in Spain?

It is not essential, but it helps. Each listing states the languages spoken when the community has specified them. In your request, simply say which languages you speak: the guesthouse will tell you whether it can welcome you.

Can I go on a retreat in Spain close to France?

Yes. Navarre and Catalonia are near the border: the abbey of Leyre in Navarre and the monastery of Solius, near the Costa Brava, are listed in the directory. On the French side, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine also have their abbeys.

How much does a spiritual retreat in Spain cost?

In most places, lodging is offered with a free-will contribution: everyone gives according to their means. Each community gives an indication, which you can ask the person in charge of the guesthouse. Money should not keep anyone from coming. It is all explained in our article How much does a spiritual retreat cost?

Spiritual retreats near Spain

Want to widen your search? On the other side of the Pyrenees, the neighbouring French regions also have abbeys and monasteries that welcome retreatants: Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Themed retreats in Spain

Spanish communities also offer retreats on fixed dates, on a given theme or for a particular audience. Browse them all, or find the places that welcome guests on the map.

See retreats in Spain See the map of places