Tsepelovo ( el, Τσεπέλοβο) is a village in the

Zagori Zagori ( el, Ζαγόρι; rup, Zagori), is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 villages known as ...

region (

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

region). It stands at a height of 1,200 meters in a panoramic location on the mountain range of

Tymfi Tymphe (in Latin and English usage) or Tymfi (in the Greek government's preferred transliteration), Timfi, also Tymphi (, ) is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and ...

. It is the biggest of the 45 villages of

and it was the seat of

municipality. Its name is of Slavic origin. It lies in the middle of the

Vikos–Aoös National Park The Vikos–Aoös National Park ( el, Εθνικός Δρυμός Βίκου–Αώου ''Ethnikós Drymós Víkou–Aóou'') is a national park in the region of Epirus in northwestern Greece. The park, founded in 1973, is one of ten national ...

, 48 km from Ioannina.

Nearest places

* Skamneli, east (distance: 4 km) * Vradeto, west (distance: 7 km)

Population

History

Founded in the 16th century, Tsepelovo became from the 18th century onwards the administrative center of

. It remained relatively prosperous until the end of the Ottoman occupation (1912). The village was a local trade center, and remains so especially because of the trade of timber. In 1820, before the outbreak of the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted b ...

and the defeat of Ali Pasha, the poet Ioannis Vilaras and the famous

Epirote Epirus (; el, Ήπειρος, translit=Ípiros, ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region in northwestern Greece.Π.Δ. 51/87 “Καθορισμός των � ...

scholar Athanasios Psalidas came from Ioannina to prepare the people for the great national revolt. Psalidas also taught for 2 years at the local school. The traditional stone architecture is visible in every building, in the village paths, dwellings and churches. The historical church of Agios Nikolaos was renovated at 1753 and decorated with unique wall paintings by exceptional painters of nearby Kapesovo. Two kilometers out of the village, in the Vikaki (Greek: small Vikos) canyon lies the monastery of St John Rogovou. It was founded at 1028 by the sister of Emperor Romanos III Argyros of Byzantium. It was rebuilt in 1749, possibly after it was damaged by fire, and the frescoes were painted by

iconographer Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

s from Kapesovo. Neofytos Doukas wanted to establish there the Higher School of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

( el, Ανωτέρα Σχολή), a high level educational institution. Because of the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence and the military conflicts the idea could not become reality. The village has historically also been settled by Christian Orthodox Albanians, who largely came after the 15th century, later assimilating into the local population.

Sarakatsani The Sarakatsani ( el, Σαρακατσάνοι, also written Karakachani, bg, каракачани) are an ethnic Greek population subgroup who were traditionally transhumant shepherds, native to Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbourin ...

have settled at the beginning of the 20th century. The people of Tsepelovo used to emigrate within

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

to Macedonia,

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

and to areas of southern

. Outside

, they mainly migrated to

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and the U.S.A.Kathareios (Inspector of the 1st educational region of Epirus) ''Report of Inspection of Zagorohoria in 1913'' Today, the village is a popular destination for tourists during the winter season.

Notable people

* Konstantinos Rados, merchant and member of

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. (''ret ...

. * Dimitrios Kotopoulis, actor. *

Marika Kotopouli Marika Kotopouli ( el, Μαρίκα Κοτοπούλη; 3 May 1887 – 11 September 1954) was a Greek stage actress during the first half of the 20th century. Biography Kotopouli was born on 3 May 1887 in Athens to actor parents, Dimitrios Ko ...

(1887–1954), actress. * Dimitrios Myrat, actor.

Gallery

File:Τσεπελοβο 07.jpg, Tsouflion Pharmacy and the grave of I. Villaras in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 18.jpg, Partial view of the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 28.jpg, Stone alley in the village File:Τσεπελοβο 030.jpg, Traditional grocery in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 33.jpg, Partial view of the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 058.jpg, Partial view of the square in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 103.jpg, Tradiotinal house in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 108.jpg, Chimney of a traditional house in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 115.jpg, Partial view of the traditional houses in the village.

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website of Tsepelovo

Prefecture of Ioannina. Tourist department of Greece
{{Authority control Populated places in Ioannina (regional unit)