Administrative Region : Epirus
Regional unit : Ioannina
Vitsa (Βίτσα) Ioannina
Vitsa is a mountainous settlement in the prefecture of Ioannina. It is located in the northern part of the prefecture, in Central Zagori, at the entrance to the Vikos Gorge, on the southeastern slopes of the Stouros peak, 37 km. NE of the city of Ioannina. It administratively falls under the residential complex of Zagori.
General information
It is a residential complex distinguished by the unity of its stone-built houses, churches, streets and squares, which make it one of the most representative villages of the Zagori region of Central Zagori. It consists of two spatial units (neighborhoods), Ano Vitsa and Kato Vitsa. The main economic activities of the residents revolve around livestock farming and rural tourism. Important prehistoric findings have been excavated in the northwestern part of the settlement.
Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Of particular architectural interest are the churches of Agios Nikolaos, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Taxiarches, the bridge of Missios over the Voidomatis River. The village has a particularly intense event activity. Among the local bodies are:
The Cultural Association of Vitsa and
The Brotherhood of Vitsa
The wealth of local tradition is expressed through events celebrating the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15, the Apokreo with the famous tzamales and also through celebrations of the lifestyle of the residents such as the production of tsipouro in early November.
Double rainbow in Vitsa.
Historical data
Prehistoric era - Historical times
Our information about Zagori is limited for both the ancient and medieval periods. The history of these periods is based only on excavation data and the indications provided by place names. The existence of life during the Prehistoric period was confirmed, as mentioned above, by the findings at the site of "Kleidi", on the right bank of the Voidomatis. During historical times, Zagori was inhabited by the Molossian tribe, as we conclude from the excavation findings of the settlement of Vitsa, from the polygonal wall and the black-painted shells at Skamneli, from the fort at Elaphotopos and from the Greek walls at Kastraki.
Monastery of Ai Lia (1632).
Byzantine era
During the Byzantine era, historical evidence for the Zagori region is non-existent. The numerous Slavic place names of the region make us assume that Zagori experienced not only the great Slavic raids at the beginning of the 6th century but also settlements of Slavic tribes. The oldest reference to Zagori is found in Chrysovoulos of Andronikos II Palaiologos from the year 1321. Other documents from 1326-1361 mention the founding of villages such as Papigo, Elaphotopo, Ano and Kato Pedina and Vitsa. In Vitsa in particular, buildings from that era have survived to this day. From the late 14th century. the Zagorisians are recorded in the History of Epirus, expelling the Albanians, who raided Ioannina (1389). The fact that from the beginning of the 14th century. the sources[citation pending] mention the names of settlements and places located in Western Zagori, where the first settlements were created.
From an old feast in the village square with the large plane tree.
Period of Turkish Rule
The history of Zagori begins mainly after 1430, the year of the conquest of Ioannina by the Turks. [1]The Turks, in order to secure supremacy in the mountainous regions, implemented a policy of granting privileges to communities or groups of communities, which capitulated to them. Thus, until the 17th century. the entire region constituted a self-governing federation under the name of the Zagori Community or Vilayet of Zagori. The privileges, which were granted to the autonomous federation of Zagori and which are due, for the most part, to the influence of wealthy Zagorisians in the Sultan's court, were maintained until 1868, when they were abolished. According to these privileges, Zagori was granted autonomy and self-government, with the highest ruler being the Vekylis of Zagori. Another important privilege that the Zagoris had was the freedom to perform their religious duties. Over the years, and thanks to the intelligence and political power of many Zagori patriots who held administrative positions in the Sublime Porte, these privileges increased and improved. Autonomy, self-government and freedom contributed to achieving an enviable standard of living for the inhabitants of the region. After 1868, when the privileges of Zagori were abolished, the region began to be ravaged by bandits, with repercussions on the human resources, since this situation removed from Zagori more than 500-600 families of lords, who were the main target of the bandits. This period lasted until 1913, when the Zagorochoria were liberated from the Turks and from then on followed the historical course of the Greek Nation.
Champions of Zagori 2004.
Prehistoric settlement of Vitsa 9th-8th century BC
At the site of "Genitsari" in Ano Vitsa, between the communal areas of Vitsa and Monodendri, there is one of the oldest settlements that have been discovered in the surrounding area. It is a small pastoral settlement, with two adjacent cemeteries whose lifespan begins from the 9th-8th BC. century to the end of the 4th century BC. Excavations at the site of "Genitsari" began in 1965 by I. Vokotopoulou. Remains of houses from the Geometric to the Classical periods were found in the settlement. Based on the findings and mainly the imported wheeled archives, the theory is documented that the settlement of Vitsa was a summer residence of nomadic pastoralists, who in the winter moved to the coast, where they exchanged their products with other peoples. The final end of the settlement came in the middle of the second half of the 4th century BC, when the settlement was destroyed by fire.
Churches and Monasteries
The churches and monasteries scattered throughout Zagori reflect the wealth and artistic development that the region experienced during the period of Turkish rule. They are built with local materials, stones, wood and slates that are abundant in the area. They are distinguished for the excellent result that is due to the technical skill of the Epirus craftsmen. Often, stone reliefs with folk scenes decorate the arches and entrances of the temples. There are two things that someone who studies the churches and monasteries in Zagori notices. First, that they are the oldest buildings in Zagori and second, most of them were built by benefactors. Particularly noteworthy are the wall paintings and the wood carvings that we find in the monasteries of Zagori. In the Vitsa area there are several monasteries and churches built quite old in the traditional way by the craftsmen of the time. The monastery of Prophet Elias of Vitsa was originally built in 1632, on the site of an old chapel of the Transfiguration of the Savior and in 1688 an extension was made. Today the cells of the monastery are almost destroyed while the catholicon is preserved in quite good condition. It was one of the richest monasteries of Zagori. In the Monastery, Markos Botsaris, the great teacher of the Nation George Gennadios, Raphael Metropolitan of Dryinopolis, the Titularios Tyrrios and Leontios and many others stayed and learned their first letters in the secret school that operated there. [citation pending] The magnificent location of the Monastery forced Athanasios Stageiritis to place the Oracle of Dodona there.
The oldest church in Vitsa is the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. There is no clear indication of the date of its foundation. It probably functioned as a monastery before 1554, as is evident from a reference in the cover of an old Gospel. The Church was completely repaired in 1728. In 1885, an addition, the “women’s” section, was constructed. The church's catholicon is in the style of "Basiliki single-aisled", with an internal and external narthex. It currently functions as the parish church of Kato Vitsa.
The church of Agios Nikolaos was built in 1612. It was painted four years later. It is one of the churches with the best-preserved paintings in Zagori. Until 1885 it was used as the parish church of Ano Vitsa. It is in the style of "Basiliki single-aisled with narthex".
Administrative - Population
The settlement was officially referred to as Vitsa for the first time in 1961, when it was designated as the seat of the homonymous community. Until then, the settlements of Ano and Kato Vitsa were registered separately.[2] According to the Kallikratis program, it is part of the Vitsa community[3], which belongs to the municipal unit of Central Zagori of the Municipality of Zagori and according to the 2011 census has a population of 102 inhabitants.[4]
De facto population censuses
Census 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021
Population 181[5]* 220[6] 163[7] 140[8] 153[9] 137[10] 102 82
* The settlements of Ano and Kato Vitsa had 81 and 100 inhabitants respectively
Personalities
Nikolaos Sarros[11] (1617-1697), merchant and printer in Venice.
Stefanos Bazakas (1681), printer in Venice.
Emmanuel Sarros (1730), officer in the Russian army and collaborator of Orloff.
Dimitrios Sarros (1784-1858), educator and writer.
Matthew Paranikas (1832-1915), philologist, historian and educator.
Georgios Zikidis (1852 - 1920), philologist and lexicographer.
Philippos Vrizopoulos[12] (d. 1936), businessman in Egypt and local benefactor.
References
"Historical History of Central Zagori". Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
"EETAA-Administrative Changes of Settlements". www.eetaa.gr. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
"Law 4555/2018 - Government Gazette 133/A/19-7-2018 (Articles 1 - 151) (CLOSED Program) (Codified)". e-nomothesia.gr | Legislation Information Bank. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
"Government Gazette of the results of the PERMANENT population census 2011 Archived 2021-10-04 at the Wayback Machine.", p. 10567 (p. 93 of pdf)
Population of Greece according to the census of 7 March 1951, p. 85 of pdf. Archived from the original on 2013-05-14.
Population of Greece according to the census of 19 March 1961, p. 87 of pdf.
Population of Greece according to the census of 14 March 1971, p. 85 of pdf.
Actual population of Greece according to the census of 5 April 1981, p. 96 of pdf.
Actual population of Greece according to the census of 17 March 1991, p. 111 of pdf.
Actual population of Greece - Census 2001, p. 116 of pdf.
"Reports of notable Vitsinas". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
Vassilis Krapsitis, Contemporary Epirote Benefactors (1913-1986), publications of the association "Friends of Souli", Athens, 1987, pp. 193 - 195.
| Municipal unit Kentriko Zagori |
|---|
| Community Agios Minas |
| Άγιος Μηνάς, ο |
| Community Ano Pedina |
| Ano Pedina (Άνω Πεδινά, τα) |
| Community Aristi |
| Aristi (Αρίστη, η) |
| Vikos (Βίκος, ο) |
| Community Asprangeloi |
| Asprangeloi (Ασπράγγελοι, οι) |
| Community Vitsa |
| Vitsa (Βίτσα, η) |
| Community Dikoryfo |
| Dikoryfo (Δικόρυφο, το) |
| Community Dilofo |
| Dilofo (Δίλοφο, το) |
| Community Dipotamos |
| Dipotamo (Διπόταμο, το) |
| Community Elati |
| Elati (Ελάτη, η) |
| Community Elafotopos |
| Elafotopos (Ελαφότοπος, ο) |
| Καλύβια, τα |
| Community Kaloutas |
| Kaloutas (Καλουτάς, ο) |
| Community Kato Pedina |
| Kato Pedina (Κάτω Πεδινά, τα) |
| Community Manassis |
| Manassis (Μανασσής, ο) |
| Community Mesovouni |
| Mesovouni (Μεσοβούνι, το) |
| Community Monodendri |
| Monodendri (Μονοδένδρι, το) |
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