SANTULHÃO
41.56538º N; 6.61983º W
Santulhão is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Vimioso, with an area of 47.53 km² and 330 inhabitants (2021). Its population density is 6.9 inhabitants/km².
Santulhão is a village located between two rivers, Sabor and Maçãs. It is located 17 km southwest of the county seat (Vimioso).
First Settlements
The first settlement would be in Castro da Brunheira, which had the necessary conditions for primitive peoples. The castro is located in a high place (about 663 m of altitude), which allowed defense against enemies and wild animals. Near it there are several watercourses, which allowed some subsistence agriculture.
Construction of the Roman Bridge
There are documents that date the Romanesque bridge connecting Izeda to the 13th century. Its construction in the shape of a horse's loin is different from all others in the region, suggesting that it is also one of the oldest. It is clear that Santulhão would formerly be a crossing point for the Romans and this bridge would be extremely important for the development of their economic activities.
Origin of settlement
It is said that there was a primitive settlement: São Mamede, which gave rise to Santulhão. This village, according to popular belief, was abandoned due to the abundance of ants that appeared there and destroyed everything. It is known that the village survived until the 12th century, as it is mentioned in a document of the time, and traces of graves were discovered that could constitute the necropolis corresponding to the medieval occupation phase.
In this place (S.Mamede), in addition to the tombs and several ancient coins, fragments of common pottery from Roman chronology and large amounts of tile can be detected. A Roman marble funerary stele also appeared here, deposited in the Bragança museum, with the inscription: SEXTO / ALAVI / ANN XX
.JPG)
