Santa Catalina de Somoza

Santa Catalina de Somoza is a small municipality in the province of León, Castilla y León, situated in the Maragatería on the Camino Frances between Murias de Rechivaldo and El Ganso. The village has the characteristic stone and slate architecture of the region, with buildings showing the substantial, closed-in quality of Maragata construction.

The village is associated with an ancient pilgrim hospitality tradition and retains several houses with crossed beam or carved stone details above their doorways. The surrounding plateau is the open scrub and moorland of the Maragatería interior, wide and austere.

For pilgrims, Santa Catalina marks the continuing ascent through the Maragatería before the terrain becomes more forested and dramatic in the approaches to Rabanal del Camino.