Eco-Wolf Trail – Station P – Gondomar Church (16/16)

At this station, you will find the Chapel of Santa Luzia, a small granite religious temple built in the 17th century (1624). From the chapel, you can view the village houses of Bezeguimbra and the surrounding landscape, dominated by agricultural fields, meadows for grazing livestock, oak woodlands, and hills covered with scrubland.

The chapel’s location at the village entrance would have provided emotional comfort to residents and travelers coming from the rugged surrounding mountains, where local communities made their living but where feared animals, such as wolves, took refuge. Although the animals most easily observed at this station are primarily domestic, several wild carnivores—including the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), genet (Genetta genetta), beech marten (Martes foina), and even the wolf—may move through the area at night or under forest cover, attracted by easily accessible human-related food such as waste, rodents, dogs, or livestock.

The expansive landscape visible from the chapel viewpoint conveys a sense of peace and tranquility and may also allow observation of birds of prey, such as the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Regarding flora, this station is quite diverse, with numerous wildflowers present, despite strong human influence, as evidenced by the nearby subsistence gardens close to the homes.

Learn more: Mapa do Percurso e Projeto Trilho Eco-Lobo