Tourist Information from As Somozas, A Coruña, Spain

General Information:

As Somozas is a municipality of the province o A Coruña, in Galicia, Spain. Is part of Comarca de Ferrol.

Throughout its history, the borough of As Somozas has attracted numerous cultures, drawn by its strategic location, surrounded by stunningly beautiful valleys and mountains.

As Somozas is divided into 4 parishes: As Enchousas, Seixas, Recemel and AS Somozas. This area lies halfway between the mountain foothills and the deep valleys and river banks of Ferrolterra.

The river Mera and Xuvia, whose headwaters are located in this borough, provide the area with an unusually lush and fertile landscape. The facilities on offer in the borough´s capital also include the O Carballo@ picnic area, with its landscaped area, tables, swimming pools and changing rooms that are open during the summer, and all situated next to a riverside walk along the banks of the Xuvia.

History:

History has it that by the times of the Marquis of La Ensenada, the land registry already included As Somozas as a place "of jurisdiction and lordship", owned by the Countess of Lemos, although it seems that both the Count of Maceda and the Marquis of San Sadurniño were also proprietors of some of the terrains in the area. The municipality consisted of only two parishes, Somoza and Recemel, up to 1895; two more added up that year: Seixas and As Enchousas.

The name Somozas has its origins in the Frenchman noble Sumaças, whose troops defeated in Melide the moors while the latter tried to collect the so-called hundred maidens tax. For that reason, the Kings of Spain awarded him with these lands, which were named after him; such name later evolved as Somozas. Seemingly, those hundred maidens, who were taken to Africa by the moors, were collected from around the municipality and stayed at the Casa Grande de As Enchousas, which still survives, until they set sail to their African destination.

Places of Interest:

· Santiago Seré Church: This is a baroque-style church dating from the 18th Century. It has a rectangular-shaped plan with three naves. The central one has a lower wooden vault and opens to the side with round arches supported by square pillars. The side naves have a simple wooden roof open with holes that provide the temple with natural light. The choir is high and wrought in wood. Outside, the walls have been covered and whitened except for the corners. The main façade is divided into three bodies, with the central one prevailing. The belfry has a notable size and is topped by a octagonal dome with a pinnacle and an iron cross. On the back side of the church the visitor can watch the presbytery walls and the images of the wild boars and shields, symbols of the Andrade family, medieval knights of the area.

· As Enchousas Church: Gothic-style church with a rectangular-shaped plan, a single nave and a small chapel. In the inside, the nave has clean walls with no decoration. The chapel, with a single-key cross vault, has two rooms, separated by a pointed thriumph arch. On top of the altar, there is an altarpiece with neoclassic features and a polycromy resembling marble. There is an image of San Pedro in the middle and two more representing San Xosé and San Antonio on the sides. According to an inscription on the south wall, the chapel was owned by the Marchioness of Cavalcanti. From the outside, the visitor can watch the supporting walls and the gabled roof covered with irregular slate.

· Seixas Church: This is a classicist-baroque style church, with a Latin cross plan, a single nave, two side chapels, a presbytery and a small vestry. Inside, you can see the main nave covered with a lower wooden vault and a groin vault at the nave crossing. The presbytery is small and delimited by a lower round arch supported by pilasters. Outside, the walls are covered and whitened except for the corners. The main façade has three sections, with a divided cornice in the middle, creating a rectangular-shaped base on which the two-hole belfry is settled. There is a stone cross at the entrance.

· Recemel Church: This is a baroque-style church with a rectangular-shaped plan and three naves. Inside, the central nave has a gabled wooden vault which opens to the sides with round arches supported by low pillars. The side naves display a humble wooden cover. The choir is high and wood-wrought. The presbytery has a small size and a wooden aerial structure resembling the four-pitched outside roof. The walls outside are covered and whitened except for the corners. The volumetry is rich, making a clear distinction of the different bodies. The main façade is sober, with a big belfry topped by an octagonal dome with a pinnacle and an iron cross.

· Enchousas Big House: This house has no defined style, although it belongs to a very common kind of popular architecture. It has a rectangular-shaped plan, with added volumes devoted to other uses such as stables or tools keeping. It has two floors and three entrances, a main one in the middle of the façade and two secondary ones linking the house with the annex quarters. It combines unpolished-stone walls with painted ones, with no uniformity in the construction. The roof is covered with slate, its shape being four-pitched over the main body, gabled and simple over the annex volumes.

Festivals:

· Festival in honour of San Marcos: April 25th in Vilachave.

· Festival in honour of San Isidro: On May 15th.

· Festival in honour of Santa María: On May 25th at Seixas.

· Festival in honour of San Antonio de Padua: June 13th. A Toca.

· Festival in honour of Santa Isabel: On July 4th at Recemel.

· Municipal Festival in honour of Santiago Apóstol: July 25th. A Iglesia.

Natural Resources:

· Recreational Area in O Carballo: Is located in the surroundings of A Iglesia, a village, on a space that features a few wooden bridges and river dikes. All the furniture and equipment perfectly suits the natural environment. There are playgrounds fitted with wooden furniture and an outdoor swimming pool nearby. This is the perfect place to go for lunch and some swimming while enjoying a cosy, quiet spot.

· Recreational Area in A Queiroga: This area takes advantage of a peculiar river and forest environment next to river Mera, a place displaying notable ecologic features and densely populated by pine trees, ecupalyptus, oaks and birches, the combination of which foster the visitor in harmony with nature. There is also an old mill made of stone and covered with slate that has been restored.