Sarcophagi of San Mamede

San Mamede sarcophagi are part of a more intimate history of this town defined by its physical and geographical conditions. San Mamede is set in a breathtakingly beautiful natural landscape bathed by the rivers Conso and Camba besides being surrounded by high mountains with gentle profiles. The networks of trails communicating the town with the others of Vilariño de Conso were few until recently, and relatively precarious due to the steep landscape. The climate affecting the territory can be described as oceanic with continental forms, characterized and extreme temperatures which during winter may lead to high levels of snow with drifts of up to 2 metres high, virtually isolating the town and its closest neighbours.
All these factors affected and conditioned the daily lives of its inhabitants to moving limits representing the San Mamede sarcophagi, a perfect example of the history, memory and idiosyncrasy of the area.
These stone sarcophagi of unknown origin are attached to the 18th century chapel of San Mamede. These sepulchres must have prolonged their original functions by being used as provisional tombs when the town was incommunicated due to adverse weather conditions. During the harsh winter, the dead were deposited inside and covered with ice to keep the corpses in good condition and ready for transfer and burial once the snow allowed it.

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