Samos is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province of Lugo Lugo is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ourense, Pontevedra, and A Coruña, the principality of Asturias, the State of León, and in th ...

in Galicia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It contains the village of Samos.

Geography

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 The Minho ( , ) or Miño ( , , ; cel-x-proto, Miniu) is the longest river in Galicia, sharing the border with Portugal, with a length of . By discharge, it is the fourth river of the Iberian peninsula, after the Douro, Ebro, and Tagus. The Min ...

, 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.

Nature

Samos is located in a natural setting in a valley that leads into the mountains of Pedrafita. It crosses the Oribio river, a small river rich in eel and trout and one of the most representative dishes of the area.

Culture

The village of Samos is located approximately 11 kilometers from

Sarria Sarria is a municipality in the province of Lugo, northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Sarria is the most populous town on the French Way in Galicia, with 13,700 inhabitants. It is head of the region and the most popular ...

and 45 kilometers from Lugo. It is home to an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

, the ''Real Abadía de Samos'', and the

Benedictine monastery , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

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 (accommodation) that the pilgrims can use freely at the Royal Benedictine Abbey of St. Julian of Samos. The abbey, one of the most important religious centers of Galicia, is dated the sixth century, a period in which the Swabian territories inhabited what is now known as Galicia. 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 Triacastela is a municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. It gets its name from the three castles that once stood here, none of which exist today. Norman (Viking) invaders in 968 A.D. pillaged here, eventually to be defeated at Cebrei ...

Pedrafita do Cebreiro Pedrafita do Cebreiro is a municipality in the province of Lugo in Galicia, Spain. It borders the Lugo municipalities of As Nogais, Cervantes, Folgoso do Courel, Samos and Triacastela. Its eastern boundary borders the province of León. It b ...

and Folgoso do Courel; and in the west by

and

O Incio O Incio is a municipality in the province of Lugo in Galicia in north-west Spain. The main attraction is the small church of Hospital, surrounded by oak and chestnut forest in a western orientated narrow valley. It is a very well preserved Rom ...

. Samos belongs to the judicial party of Sarria and to the diocese (province of the Church) of Lugo.

Economy

Economically, Samos is sustained by agriculture and livestock, but hospitality is in a time of enormous growth. Popular tourist destinations include (but are not limited to): the monastery of San Xian de Samos, the Lóuzara valley, and the Sierra do Oribio mountains. Its landscapes and quality of its typical products of the region are a major lure for rural tourism and gastronomy.

Civil parishes

* Castroncán (Santa Marta) * Estraxiz (Santiago) * Formigueiros (Santiago) * Freixo (San Silvestre) * Frollais (San Miguel) * Gundriz (Santo André) * Loureiro (Santa María) * Lousada (San Martiño) * Montán (Santa María) * Pascais (Santalla) * Reiriz (Santo Estevo) * Renche (Santiago) * Romelle (San Martiño) *

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greece, Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a se ...

(Santa Xertrude) * San Cristovo de Lóuzara (San Cristovo) * San Cristovo do Real (San Cristovo) * San Mamede do Couto (San Mamede) * San Martiño do Real (San Martiño) * San Xil de Carballo (San Xil) * San Xoán de Lóuzara (San Xoán) * Santalla (San Xosé) * Suñide (Santa María) * Teibilide (San Xulián) * Zoó (Santiago)

Specimen trees

The ancient cypress found in the chapel next to the cemetery and the river was highlighted as it was planted while the chapel was built as a sign of spirituality.

Festivals

* San Bieito, June 11 * Santa Basilisa, patroness of the monastery, January 9 * Pilgrimage of San Roque in Santalla de Lóuzara, August 16

Notable people

* Diogo Alves -

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

active in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

References

{{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Lugo Populated places in Galicia (Spain)