Samos is a

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

in the province of

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

in the autonomous community of Galicia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It belongs to the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

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

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 ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...

, 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 The Sil is a river in León (Castile and León) and Galicia, Spain, a tributary of the Miño. Its total length is . The source of the Sil is in the Cantabrian Mountains, in La Cueta part of the Leonese municipality of Cabrillanes. It flows ...

. 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

and 45 kilometers from

. 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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

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

Benedictine monastery The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

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 is bordered in the north by the municipality of

Láncara Láncara is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Sarria. Notable people * Ángel Castro y Argiz (1875–1956) – Galician-born Cuban farmer and businessman; kno ...

; in the south by

Folgoso do Courel Folgoso do Courel is a town and municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal ...

and

A Pobra do Brollón A Pobra do Brollón is a municipality in the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Terra de Lemos. It has a population of 2,066 (Spanish 2010 Census) and an area of 175 km2. It is ...

; 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 Cebr ...

, Pedrafita do Cebreiro and Folgoso do Courel; and in the west by

and

O Incio O Incio is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Sarria. The main attraction is the small church of Hospital, surrounded by oak and chestnut forest in ...

. 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 ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

(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 Diogo Alves (c. 1810 – 19 February 1841) was a Galician-born criminal executed in Portugal for his involvement in a robbery-murder case that left five people dead. Though popularly remembered today as the so-called "Aqueduct Murderer", who al ...

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

active in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

References

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