A Madalena is tiny, but its location is particularly significant: it lies in the natural corridor of the Limia/Lima River, between the Serra do Xurés and Peneda-Gerês, at one of the historic crossing points between Galicia and northern Portugal. The OU-540 road crosses the border precisely at A Madalena.
The area is also of considerable historical interest due to the construction of the Lindoso Reservoir. Nearby are Compostela and the Church of San Salvador de Manín, also known as the Church of Aceredo. This church was relocated twice, most recently as a result of the construction of the reservoir. The creation of the Lindoso Reservoir profoundly transformed this landscape, flooding land and altering historic routes. Nevertheless, the landscape still preserves the memory of the rural, cross-border culture that once shaped this area.
A Madalena is therefore a meeting place: between two countries, between river and mountain, and between the landscape of today and the traces left by those who once lived here.
