Monforte de Lemos

Monforte de Lemos
Municipality
View of Monforte from the Cabe River, with San Vicente Castle at top
Coat of arms
Location of Monforte de Lemos
Monforte de Lemos Location in Spain
Coordinates: 42°30′59″N 7°30′58″W / 42.51639°N 7.51611°W / 42.51639; -7.51611Coordinates: 42°30′59″N 7°30′58″W / 42.51639°N 7.51611°W / 42.51639; -7.51611
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Galicia
Province	Lugo
Comarca	Terra de Lemos
Government
• Alcalde	Severino Rodríguez Díaz (2007) (BNG)
Area
• Total	199.5 km2 (77.0 sq mi)
Elevation	360 m (1,180 ft)
Population (2008)
• Total	19,486
• Density	98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Monfortino, na
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	27400
Website	Official website

Monforte de Lemos is a city and municipality in northwestern Spain, in the province of Lugo, Galicia. It covers an area of 200 km² and lies 62 km from Lugo. As of 2005 it had a population of 19,472.

Monforte de Lemos is located in a valley between the rivers Minho and Sil. The river Cabe, a tributary of Sil, runs through the city. It is the core of the region known as Terra de Lemos and capital of the area known as Ribeira Sacra or Terras de Lemos.

The coat of arms of Monforte de Lemos was approved after the mandatory report of the Heraldic Council of Galicia, the autonomous government, under Decree 166/2002 of April 25, 2002. The process sparked some initial controversy by contemplating the withdrawal of the Tau of Gules, a heraldic device associated, among others, to the Order of St. Anthony and St. Anton. It was traditionally used as an emblem of the town, finally being emblazoned, in response to this feature together with its historical strength and its relationship with the House of Lemos, as follows:

Of Silver, a mountain of gold, added to the tower of the same, accompanied in the center of the head of a Tau of Gules and six azure bezants, on the flanks. At the ring, royal crown closed

The area around the town has been inhabited since long before the Roman occupation, as testified by excavations of sites dating to the Bronze Age. The history of Monforte de Lemos goes back to the Paleolithic, and its first known inhabitants were the Oestrimnios. This period was called the "castrexa" or the culture of the forts, typical of the Celtic tribes. The tribe that populated Monforte was known as the Lemavi tribe, and the first written references to them date from the Roman historians Pliny the Elder and Strabo, between 600 and 900 BC. The Lemavi were centered on the hill of San Vicente. The word "Lemos," which also gives name to the region, known as Terra de Lemos, would be a voice of Celtic origin meaning "moist, fertile soil" and seems to connect with the root Galician word of "lama" or in English "slime." It is believed that during pre-history, Monforte, now a valley, was a large lagoon, and evidence of this is found in the hard red clay by digging a few feet into the floor of the city. Likewise, its river, el Cabe, was already known for its ferrous properties and much appreciated at the time of tempering swords of Celtic warriors, who came from all corners to take comfort with its excellent properties. The settlement of the Lemavis was the Castro Dactonium, whose actual location has long been disputed, although early medieval sources point to its likely location on San Vicente do Pino, the main town which was the origin of today's Monforte. "Dactonium, quod dicitur pinus" (Dactonio, which they call Pine), one of the documents states which supports this version. The theory has been recently reinforced by the discovery of remains of Castraña houses on the slopes of the mountains.