Skamneli
Encyclopedia
Skamneli is a village in the Zagori
region (Epirus region
), 54 km north of Ioannina
. It is built in the fringes of mountain Tymfi
(Mt Tymphe), at a height of 1160 m.
of the Bible - the fig-mulberry tree). There are several villages and toponyms in Greece
with the name Sycaminea or Sykamia. It is more likely, however, that the name is derived from the Greek "skamnos" (σκαμνός), "skamnon" (σκάμνον) or "skamni" (σκαμνί) ( that means "seat" or "footstool") perhaps because the village itself seems like a seat and has an amphitheatric view.
Skamneli is flanked by the steep cliff of Rhadio meaning easy or accessible, (if so, a euphemism
) on its western side and the hill of Prophetes Elias on the eastern side and looks over the valley of Selio (Σελιό), perhaps from , archaic form of meaning "of the sun" or sunny, as this area remains out of the shadow of Rhadio for the entire day. At the bottom of the valley of Selio passes the Skamneliotic stream (Skamneliotiko rema).
The village is not mentioned in the Turkish records of 1564. There seemed to be in the area several other small villages that slowly coalesced with Skamneli in the 17th century. These were Catuna or Catuni, Agios Georgios, Prophetes Elias, Gardiki, Trepesi, Kotsanades, Palaiochori (Koziakos-Katsikochori) and Nouka. Nouka was a small settlement of Vlachs at Gyftokampos
.
dated these to the 8th century BC.
Moreover, remains of a 4th to 3rd C BC circular tower, a rectangular tower, a gate and two smaller doorways have been identified near the entrance of the village in the vicinity of the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi. In the Ottoman
period, Skamneli belonged to the Commons of the Zagorisians formed after a treaty with Sinan-Pasha in 1431. Ιτ enjoyed along with the other villages a joint autonomy
from Ottoman rule. The autonomy guaranteed non-interference from the Turkish administration. Zagorisians had their affairs entrusted to a Council of Elders called Demogerontia (Δημογεροντία), headed by a president or governor called Vekylis (Βεκύλης). They were allowed to maintain an armed security force of Spachedes (σπαχήδες). The Commons of the Zagorisians was reformalised by a treaty signed in 1670, under which Zagori
enjoyed considerable privileges called Surutia, which were only rescinded by the Sultan in 1868. In the later part of the 17th century, the inhabitants of several hamlets began to gather together in Skamneli. The reason for this was probably raids from bandits. One major such raid is recorded in the books of the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, according to Frangoulis dated to 1688, by one named Ali Chogmeno at the head of 166 men. He gathered the women and children in the church of Agioi Apostoloi and began a looting of the village. Armatoloi
arrived from Doliani, another village in Zagori
, under their captain Douvlis and dispersed the bandits after killing Ali Chogmeno. At the time Skamneli had about 1000 inhabitants and was surrounded by several hamlets with an additional 800 inhabitants. Plagued by raids from mainly Albanian and Turkish bandits, the inhabitants of the countryside and hamlets around Skamneli began to emigrate to other villages of Zagori
(Tsepelovo
, Vradeto
and Negades) and also to Northern Epirus
(modern Albania
), in Karitsa, Molista, Sopiki and especially to Moschopolis
(Voskopolis), where a neighborhood became called Skamnelia (Σκαμνελιά), Skamneliki (Σκαμνελίκι) or Skamnelicili.
In the second half of the 18th century, Skamneli is believed to have had a population of about 950, according to Frangoulis, based on two surviving village records, but other estimates are of up to 800 families for the entire region. Vikos doctors
were active in the area at that time. Loom
s were worked by the women of Skamneli, producing garments, blankets and woolen fabrics. The foundations of the manors of Skamneli date from this period and were built by masons from Konitsa
. During a tour of Mt Tymphe
, Ali Pasha
was caught by a storm and spent a night in Skamneli at the manor of the Saitzis family, reputed to have caused the admiration of the tyrant.
In 1820, after the rebellion of Ali Pasha
, a Turkish force of 1500 under Ismael Pasha arrived in Zagori
, part of the total army of 20,000 sent against Ali Pasha
. Alexis Noutsos from Kapesovo
, a member of the Filiki Eteria
who had intermarried with the Saitzis family and owned a house in Skamneli, was in command of the force opposing Ismael Pasha. However, the Sultan's armies prevailed. Ismael Pasha removed most privileges other than the right to appoint a local governor (Vekylis), whose powers however became nominal. Ismael Pasha introduced very heavy taxation, amounting to 250 silver coins per person and additional taxation in kind. The bands of the Spachedes, left without income, resorted also to extortion. Albanian and local bandits began looting raids once again. This is the time when prominent Greeks everywhere have become members of the Filiki Eteria
and are preparing the uprising against the Turks in 1821. The Skamneliot Georgios Papazoglou proposes to Georgios Gennadios in Constantinople
(Istanbul
) the idea of the establishment of a Greek university at the Monastery of Rogovou, outside nearby Tsepelovo
. The idea had also been proposed by Neophytos Doukas
, at the time possibly living in Tsepelovo. The plan never materialzed because of the limited success of the Greek revolution, that left Epirus under Ottoman rule. Georgios' brother Kostas Papazoglou, another member of the Filiki Eteria
, leaves for Missolonghi, where he will lead and finance a cavalry company during the Greek War of Independence
.
Several Skamneliots enlisted in the Sacred Band of Alexander Ypsilantis
in the opening phase of the Greek War of Independence
and fought in Drăgăşani
. However, Zagori failed to gain its liberation and was not included in the Kingdom of Greece
formed in 1833. In 1837, during a raid by bandits under a man called Vryazis, the bandits find the veteran of the Greek War of Independence
Costas Papazoglou in his house in Skamneli and kill him, looting his house among others. In 1868 Zagori lost its last privileges and Skamneli entered a period of further impoverishment and decline. At that time, so-called "gypsies" and pastoral Sarakatsani
Vlachs lived here in addition to its traditional inhabitants. The "gypsies", believed by the locals to have been brought to Europe
by the Turks from Asia
, were involved in the making of tools and utensilis and other metalwork, as well as musical instruments. The pastoral Vlachs of the period managed the livestock of the wealthier families. Both groups became gradually assimilated into the village society. After the battle of Bizani
during the first Balkan War
(1912), the inhabitants of Skamneli and Tsepelovo
rose up. A Turkish unit subsequently entered the village and set fire to all the houses whose occupants were absent. The public records of the village also perished. In 1940 villagers from Skamneli helped in turning back the Italian army that had entered Epirus. Later Napoleon Zervas
established his partizan
s in the area. The village became almost deserted during the Greek Civil War
(1946-9) and more of the older stone houses fell to ruin in the subsequent period.
, notably that of the Gennadios family, near the village square and those of Cyparrisos, Frangoulis and Theodosiou. A unique characteristic of these manors were murals with floral themes covering the interior and they were also characterised by their unique carved wooden ceilings. While the older ceilings are now mostly gone, a very fine example of modern work in the old Scamneliot style can be seen in the hotel "To Rhadio" (το Ραδιό), along the main road, near the church of the Apostles.
The church of Agioi Apostoloi was built in 1793 next to the village square by a benefaction from two Skamneliots living in Moldovlachia, Demetrios and Christodoulos Saitzes. Ιτ has beautiful wooden panelling and is of considerable historical significance as a representative of the style of the period. Young Skamneliotes used to study in Ioannina
or in Italy
and in Constantinople
during the Ottoman period and would emigrate for work to Constantinople
, Asia Minor
, Russia
, the Danubian principalities of Moldova
, Wallachia
and Bessarabia
, known collectively as Moldovlachia, in Romania
and also to Egypt
. More recently there has been emigration also to the U.S.A.. There used to be two large monasteries near the entrance of Skamneli, that of Agios Nikolaos housed monks while that of Agia Paraskevi originally housed nuns. The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos dates from 1683. Parts of the monk's quarters, the church and a picturesque roofed well still remain.
The Monastery of Agia Paraskevi dates from the 12-13th centuries, as some of the oldest murals suggest, during the period of the Despotate of Epirus
. It was founded as a nunnery with 60 nuns. On the record of its last commissioner, it became a "Stavropegiac" monastery in 1453, after the Fall of Constantinople
, and has remained under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was refounded in 1697 as a male monastery. Some of the fresco
es were painted in 1717 and 1773 by painters from nearby Kapesovo
and from Chionades. The exterior fresco mainly around the theme of the Final Judgement was apparently made by a hagiographer from nearby Koukouli. The frail frescoes were restored in 1933 and 1984. The monastery became ruinous and only the central church remains out of the original foundation. Another old church, that of the Panagia (Church of the Yperagia Theotokos or the Dormition of the Theotokos
) has suffered from disrepair and, although still standing, has been closed to the public.
Near the village lies Gyftokampos
, a place of an annual meeting of the Greek-speaking Epirotan Vlachs Sarakatsani
on the first weekend of August. It is also an exhibition ground every year, from May till October, with huts and other representations of the traditional life of the Sarakatsani
.
A custom surviving until recently in Skamneli was a divination referred to as the "amileto nero" (unbespoken water). It involved an offering of water and grain by adolescent girls, relating to an ancient Demetriac festival of the month of Gamelion. Reputedly, the springwater mourmoured an omen, usually relating to the girl's future marital life.
According to Odysseas Frangoulis, St Cosmas (Kosmas Aitolos or Cosmas of Aetolia) preached in Skamneli outside the monastery of Agios Nikolaos. He prophesied "when you see here many horses gathered, the Romioi are coming". When the village was burnt in 1912 by the retreating Turks, they had left their horses outside the monastery.
to the groom's house. On the eve of the wedding, bread was baked and children were sent to the houses of the groom and the bride to summon them. The bride, upon leaving her family home would throw over a pitcher, spilling its contents of water and grains of wheat to the ground, so that not all good fortune left her parents' home. The bride would set out on a white horse, wearing a knitted vest over a gilded dress held together by a golden waistband decorated with florin
s. In more recent times the dress was white on the day of the wedding but the young bride was dressed in a black silken dress on the second day. Arriving at the groom's house with her companions (fylachtades), she would have to overcome gracefully some obstacle, the nature of which was kept secret. Much tutoring was made in advance, so that she might deal with any problem and gain respect and admiration. After the wedding, always on a Sunday, there was a feast with music by Epirotan musicians. The family would lead the dance and the newlyweds would join last. It was the responsibility of the leader of the ceremonies, called Vlamis (the best man), to fulfill any request of the guests regarding food. Feasts would often take place in the open ground of the Selio south of the village or in the fountain of Goura above the village. Wedding celebrations would last for three days. In the second day, the married couple would go to a water fountain, often a place of trysts for young lovers. The bride would let her water pitcher fall and break. She would then sing a song:
"If you go to the fountain for water,
I will be hiding there;
I will break your pitcher,
So that you return to your mother empty handed."
"My mother, I lost my footing
and I broke my pitcher."
"It was not a loss of footing,
It was a man's embracing."
Before leaving the fountain, the bride would cast coins in it. The dancing and merry-making would continue until the third day and would end with words from the bride's parents to the effect "we brought you a bride, we brightened your house". These wedding customs have become a thing of the past as only a few inhabitants remain year-round in Skamneli.
) translated in 1849 the Encheiridion of Practical Pathology of D.P. Frank from Latin
into Greek.
Skamneli also is the birthplace of the national benefactor Aggeliki Papazoglou (ca. 1810-1891). Among else, she provided the funds for the building of a library for the University of Athens and built a school for girls in Ioannina
, the Papazogleios.
Georgios Sinas
, Director of the Bank of Austria for 25 years, was a national benefactor, responsible for the building of the National Astronomical Observatory in Athens
and was among the first trustees of the Bank of Greece
after Greek independence. He was born in Moschopolis of Northern Epirus
and was of Skamneliot descent.
Simon Sinas
, baron, son of Georgios Sinas
, was a Greek Consul in Vienna
. He funded the building of the National Academy
in Athens
, considered by some as the most beautiful neoclassical building in the world.
Zagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
region (Epirus region
Epirus (region)
Epirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay of Vlorë in the north to the Ambracian Gulf in the south...
), 54 km north of Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
. It is built in the fringes of mountain Tymfi
Tymfi
Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few meters south of the 40° parallel...
(Mt Tymphe), at a height of 1160 m.
Name
The name "Skamneli" is of uncertain origin. It may derive from the word "sycaminea" ' onMouseout='HidePop("87279")' href="/topics/Sycamore">sycamoreSycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
of the Bible - the fig-mulberry tree). There are several villages and toponyms in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with the name Sycaminea or Sykamia. It is more likely, however, that the name is derived from the Greek "skamnos" (σκαμνός), "skamnon" (σκάμνον) or "skamni" (σκαμνί) ( that means "seat" or "footstool") perhaps because the village itself seems like a seat and has an amphitheatric view.
Skamneli is flanked by the steep cliff of Rhadio meaning easy or accessible, (if so, a euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
) on its western side and the hill of Prophetes Elias on the eastern side and looks over the valley of Selio (Σελιό), perhaps from , archaic form of meaning "of the sun" or sunny, as this area remains out of the shadow of Rhadio for the entire day. At the bottom of the valley of Selio passes the Skamneliotic stream (Skamneliotiko rema).
The village is not mentioned in the Turkish records of 1564. There seemed to be in the area several other small villages that slowly coalesced with Skamneli in the 17th century. These were Catuna or Catuni, Agios Georgios, Prophetes Elias, Gardiki, Trepesi, Kotsanades, Palaiochori (Koziakos-Katsikochori) and Nouka. Nouka was a small settlement of Vlachs at Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos is an area ιn the Zagori region , 58 km north of Ioannina. Its name is derived from the Greek "gyftos" , gypsy and "kampos" that means "field", and could be rendered in English translation as "gypsy lea". There used to be a hamlet called Nouka on this location which was also used...
.
History
The region of the village was inhabited since prehistoric times, as there have been found ancient, so-called pelasgian fortifications, known by the locals also as the Palaiokastro. They were visited by Nicholas Hammond in 1930 and in 1939, prior to his publication of his book Epirus. Prof Daskaris of the University of IoanninaUniversity of Ioannina
The University of Ioannina is a university lying in the plains 5 km southwest of Ioannina, Greece. The campus is linked to the town by Greek National Road 5. It now hosts over 20,000 students in 17 faculties...
dated these to the 8th century BC.
Moreover, remains of a 4th to 3rd C BC circular tower, a rectangular tower, a gate and two smaller doorways have been identified near the entrance of the village in the vicinity of the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi. In the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
period, Skamneli belonged to the Commons of the Zagorisians formed after a treaty with Sinan-Pasha in 1431. Ιτ enjoyed along with the other villages a joint autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
from Ottoman rule. The autonomy guaranteed non-interference from the Turkish administration. Zagorisians had their affairs entrusted to a Council of Elders called Demogerontia (Δημογεροντία), headed by a president or governor called Vekylis (Βεκύλης). They were allowed to maintain an armed security force of Spachedes (σπαχήδες). The Commons of the Zagorisians was reformalised by a treaty signed in 1670, under which Zagori
Zagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
enjoyed considerable privileges called Surutia, which were only rescinded by the Sultan in 1868. In the later part of the 17th century, the inhabitants of several hamlets began to gather together in Skamneli. The reason for this was probably raids from bandits. One major such raid is recorded in the books of the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, according to Frangoulis dated to 1688, by one named Ali Chogmeno at the head of 166 men. He gathered the women and children in the church of Agioi Apostoloi and began a looting of the village. Armatoloi
Armatoloi
Armatoloi , were Greek Christian irregular soldiers, or militia, commissioned by the Ottomans to enforce the Sultan's authority within an administrative district called an Armatoliki...
arrived from Doliani, another village in Zagori
Zagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
, under their captain Douvlis and dispersed the bandits after killing Ali Chogmeno. At the time Skamneli had about 1000 inhabitants and was surrounded by several hamlets with an additional 800 inhabitants. Plagued by raids from mainly Albanian and Turkish bandits, the inhabitants of the countryside and hamlets around Skamneli began to emigrate to other villages of Zagori
Zagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
(Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo , older form: -on is a village in the Zagori region . It stands at a height of 1,200 meters in a panoramic location on the mountain range of Tymfi. It is the biggest of the 45 villages of Zagori and it was the seat of Tymfi municipality...
, Vradeto
Vradeto
Vradeto , older form: -on is a village in the Greek Zagori region . It lies at a height of 1340m on Mt Tymphe on the Pindus mountainrange. Its location is the highest among the 44 villages of Zagori. It is the middle of the Vikos–Aoös National Park and is about 50 km away from Ioannina...
and Negades) and also to Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...
(modern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
), in Karitsa, Molista, Sopiki and especially to Moschopolis
Moscopole
Moscopole was a cultural and commercial center of the Aromanians, and now a small municipality in Korçë District, modern southeastern Albania. At its peak, in the mid 18th century, it hosted the first printing press in the Balkans outside Istanbul, educational institutions and numerous churches...
(Voskopolis), where a neighborhood became called Skamnelia (Σκαμνελιά), Skamneliki (Σκαμνελίκι) or Skamnelicili.
In the second half of the 18th century, Skamneli is believed to have had a population of about 950, according to Frangoulis, based on two surviving village records, but other estimates are of up to 800 families for the entire region. Vikos doctors
Vikos doctors
Vikos doctors were folk healers or practical medical practitioners from the Greek area of Zagori in the 18-19th century. - Etymology :The Greek word ἰατρός is often translated as physician...
were active in the area at that time. Loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s were worked by the women of Skamneli, producing garments, blankets and woolen fabrics. The foundations of the manors of Skamneli date from this period and were built by masons from Konitsa
Konitsa
Konitsa is a town in Epirus, Greece, near the Albanian border. It lies amphi-theatre shaped on a mountain slope of the Pindos mountain range, overlooking the valley where the river Aoos meets the river Voidomatis. The valley is used for farming. Konitsa is a regional centre for many small Pindos...
. During a tour of Mt Tymphe
Tymfi
Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few meters south of the 40° parallel...
, Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
was caught by a storm and spent a night in Skamneli at the manor of the Saitzis family, reputed to have caused the admiration of the tyrant.
In 1820, after the rebellion of Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
, a Turkish force of 1500 under Ismael Pasha arrived in Zagori
Zagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
, part of the total army of 20,000 sent against Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
. Alexis Noutsos from Kapesovo
Kapesovo
Kapesovo is a village in the Zagori region , it is 43 km north of Ioannina. The name Kapesovo is slavic and means garden. The village used to be more south near Baya , where lots of vegetables were grown and it was called "Kapouska". It was later moved to its current position for health reasons...
, a member of the Filiki Eteria
Filiki Eteria
thumb|right|200px|The flag of the Filiki Eteria.Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th century organization, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local...
who had intermarried with the Saitzis family and owned a house in Skamneli, was in command of the force opposing Ismael Pasha. However, the Sultan's armies prevailed. Ismael Pasha removed most privileges other than the right to appoint a local governor (Vekylis), whose powers however became nominal. Ismael Pasha introduced very heavy taxation, amounting to 250 silver coins per person and additional taxation in kind. The bands of the Spachedes, left without income, resorted also to extortion. Albanian and local bandits began looting raids once again. This is the time when prominent Greeks everywhere have become members of the Filiki Eteria
Filiki Eteria
thumb|right|200px|The flag of the Filiki Eteria.Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th century organization, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local...
and are preparing the uprising against the Turks in 1821. The Skamneliot Georgios Papazoglou proposes to Georgios Gennadios in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
) the idea of the establishment of a Greek university at the Monastery of Rogovou, outside nearby Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo , older form: -on is a village in the Zagori region . It stands at a height of 1,200 meters in a panoramic location on the mountain range of Tymfi. It is the biggest of the 45 villages of Zagori and it was the seat of Tymfi municipality...
. The idea had also been proposed by Neophytos Doukas
Neophytos Doukas
Neophytos Doukas was a Greek priest and scholar, author of a large number of books and translations from ancient Greek works, and one of the most important personalities of modern Greek Enlightenment during the Ottoman occupation of Greece...
, at the time possibly living in Tsepelovo. The plan never materialzed because of the limited success of the Greek revolution, that left Epirus under Ottoman rule. Georgios' brother Kostas Papazoglou, another member of the Filiki Eteria
Filiki Eteria
thumb|right|200px|The flag of the Filiki Eteria.Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th century organization, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local...
, leaves for Missolonghi, where he will lead and finance a cavalry company during the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
.
Several Skamneliots enlisted in the Sacred Band of Alexander Ypsilantis
Alexander Ypsilantis
Alexander Ypsilantis may refer to:* Alexander Ypsilantis , Prince of Wallachia from 1775 to 1782, and again from 1796 to 1797, and also Prince of Moldavia from 1786 to 1788...
in the opening phase of the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
and fought in Drăgăşani
Dragasani
Drăgăşani is a city in Vâlcea County, Romania, near the right bank of the Olt river, and on the railway between Caracal and Râmnicu Vâlcea. The city is well known for the vineyards on the neighboring hills that produce some of the best Wallachian wines....
. However, Zagori failed to gain its liberation and was not included in the Kingdom of Greece
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...
formed in 1833. In 1837, during a raid by bandits under a man called Vryazis, the bandits find the veteran of the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
Costas Papazoglou in his house in Skamneli and kill him, looting his house among others. In 1868 Zagori lost its last privileges and Skamneli entered a period of further impoverishment and decline. At that time, so-called "gypsies" and pastoral Sarakatsani
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...
Vlachs lived here in addition to its traditional inhabitants. The "gypsies", believed by the locals to have been brought to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by the Turks from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, were involved in the making of tools and utensilis and other metalwork, as well as musical instruments. The pastoral Vlachs of the period managed the livestock of the wealthier families. Both groups became gradually assimilated into the village society. After the battle of Bizani
Battle of Bizani
The Battle of Bizani took place in Epirus on March 4–6, 1913. The battle was fought between the Greek and the Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the approaches to Ioannina, the largest city in the region.At the...
during the first Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
(1912), the inhabitants of Skamneli and Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo
Tsepelovo , older form: -on is a village in the Zagori region . It stands at a height of 1,200 meters in a panoramic location on the mountain range of Tymfi. It is the biggest of the 45 villages of Zagori and it was the seat of Tymfi municipality...
rose up. A Turkish unit subsequently entered the village and set fire to all the houses whose occupants were absent. The public records of the village also perished. In 1940 villagers from Skamneli helped in turning back the Italian army that had entered Epirus. Later Napoleon Zervas
Napoleon Zervas
Napoleon Zervas was a Greek general and resistance leader during World War II. He organized and led the National Republican Greek League , the second most significant , in terms of size and activity, resistance organization against the Axis Occupation of Greece.-Early life and army career:Zervas...
established his partizan
Partizan
Partizan is the Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovene term for a partisan. It is usually used in those languages to denote a member of the World War II resistance movement, the Yugoslav Partisans, which are always mentioned in those languages without the adjective "Yugoslav", i.e...
s in the area. The village became almost deserted during the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
(1946-9) and more of the older stone houses fell to ruin in the subsequent period.
Buildings
While some of the grander houses, such as those of the Noutsos and Saitzis families, became ruins, other houses were repaired by the few remaining impoverished inhabitants. Repairs were not always sympathetic to the traditional forms. However, there are some old manors still in existence, built in the traditional style of ZagoriZagori
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 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
, notably that of the Gennadios family, near the village square and those of Cyparrisos, Frangoulis and Theodosiou. A unique characteristic of these manors were murals with floral themes covering the interior and they were also characterised by their unique carved wooden ceilings. While the older ceilings are now mostly gone, a very fine example of modern work in the old Scamneliot style can be seen in the hotel "To Rhadio" (το Ραδιό), along the main road, near the church of the Apostles.
The church of Agioi Apostoloi was built in 1793 next to the village square by a benefaction from two Skamneliots living in Moldovlachia, Demetrios and Christodoulos Saitzes. Ιτ has beautiful wooden panelling and is of considerable historical significance as a representative of the style of the period. Young Skamneliotes used to study in Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
or in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
during the Ottoman period and would emigrate for work to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the Danubian principalities of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
and Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, known collectively as Moldovlachia, in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and also to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. More recently there has been emigration also to the U.S.A.. There used to be two large monasteries near the entrance of Skamneli, that of Agios Nikolaos housed monks while that of Agia Paraskevi originally housed nuns. The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos dates from 1683. Parts of the monk's quarters, the church and a picturesque roofed well still remain.
The Monastery of Agia Paraskevi dates from the 12-13th centuries, as some of the oldest murals suggest, during the period of the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
. It was founded as a nunnery with 60 nuns. On the record of its last commissioner, it became a "Stavropegiac" monastery in 1453, after the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
, and has remained under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was refounded in 1697 as a male monastery. Some of the fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es were painted in 1717 and 1773 by painters from nearby Kapesovo
Kapesovo
Kapesovo is a village in the Zagori region , it is 43 km north of Ioannina. The name Kapesovo is slavic and means garden. The village used to be more south near Baya , where lots of vegetables were grown and it was called "Kapouska". It was later moved to its current position for health reasons...
and from Chionades. The exterior fresco mainly around the theme of the Final Judgement was apparently made by a hagiographer from nearby Koukouli. The frail frescoes were restored in 1933 and 1984. The monastery became ruinous and only the central church remains out of the original foundation. Another old church, that of the Panagia (Church of the Yperagia Theotokos or the Dormition of the Theotokos
Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos , and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on August 15 The Dormition...
) has suffered from disrepair and, although still standing, has been closed to the public.
Folklore
The village celebrates the Feast of Agia Paraskevi, on the 26th of July, with a local festival.Near the village lies Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos is an area ιn the Zagori region , 58 km north of Ioannina. Its name is derived from the Greek "gyftos" , gypsy and "kampos" that means "field", and could be rendered in English translation as "gypsy lea". There used to be a hamlet called Nouka on this location which was also used...
, a place of an annual meeting of the Greek-speaking Epirotan Vlachs Sarakatsani
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...
on the first weekend of August. It is also an exhibition ground every year, from May till October, with huts and other representations of the traditional life of the Sarakatsani
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...
.
A custom surviving until recently in Skamneli was a divination referred to as the "amileto nero" (unbespoken water). It involved an offering of water and grain by adolescent girls, relating to an ancient Demetriac festival of the month of Gamelion. Reputedly, the springwater mourmoured an omen, usually relating to the girl's future marital life.
According to Odysseas Frangoulis, St Cosmas (Kosmas Aitolos or Cosmas of Aetolia) preached in Skamneli outside the monastery of Agios Nikolaos. He prophesied "when you see here many horses gathered, the Romioi are coming". When the village was burnt in 1912 by the retreating Turks, they had left their horses outside the monastery.
Wedding customs
Weddings in former times were governed by tradition. Following engagement, and an exchange of rings, it was customary for a young Skamneliot to follow a more experienced elder abroad for work or study. They paid irregular visits to Skamneli, following the local maxim "do not visit your home often, so that you are filled with constant longing". Friends of the bride would gather nightly to knit the dowry. The duty for the final preparations and the feast were for the groom. On the Thursday before the wedding, boys and girls carried the dowryDowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
to the groom's house. On the eve of the wedding, bread was baked and children were sent to the houses of the groom and the bride to summon them. The bride, upon leaving her family home would throw over a pitcher, spilling its contents of water and grains of wheat to the ground, so that not all good fortune left her parents' home. The bride would set out on a white horse, wearing a knitted vest over a gilded dress held together by a golden waistband decorated with florin
Florin
Florin derives from the city of Florence in Italy and frequently refers to the gold coin struck in 1252.This money format was plagiarized in other countries and the word florin is used, for example, in relation to the Dutch guilder and the coin first issued in 1344 by Edward III of England, then...
s. In more recent times the dress was white on the day of the wedding but the young bride was dressed in a black silken dress on the second day. Arriving at the groom's house with her companions (fylachtades), she would have to overcome gracefully some obstacle, the nature of which was kept secret. Much tutoring was made in advance, so that she might deal with any problem and gain respect and admiration. After the wedding, always on a Sunday, there was a feast with music by Epirotan musicians. The family would lead the dance and the newlyweds would join last. It was the responsibility of the leader of the ceremonies, called Vlamis (the best man), to fulfill any request of the guests regarding food. Feasts would often take place in the open ground of the Selio south of the village or in the fountain of Goura above the village. Wedding celebrations would last for three days. In the second day, the married couple would go to a water fountain, often a place of trysts for young lovers. The bride would let her water pitcher fall and break. She would then sing a song:
"If you go to the fountain for water,
I will be hiding there;
I will break your pitcher,
So that you return to your mother empty handed."
"My mother, I lost my footing
and I broke my pitcher."
"It was not a loss of footing,
It was a man's embracing."
Before leaving the fountain, the bride would cast coins in it. The dancing and merry-making would continue until the third day and would end with words from the bride's parents to the effect "we brought you a bride, we brightened your house". These wedding customs have become a thing of the past as only a few inhabitants remain year-round in Skamneli.
Prominent Skamneliots
Adam Gorgidas, a professor of Medicine at the University of Budapest, member of the Philike Etairia (Filiki EteriaFiliki Eteria
thumb|right|200px|The flag of the Filiki Eteria.Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th century organization, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local...
) translated in 1849 the Encheiridion of Practical Pathology of D.P. Frank from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
into Greek.
Skamneli also is the birthplace of the national benefactor Aggeliki Papazoglou (ca. 1810-1891). Among else, she provided the funds for the building of a library for the University of Athens and built a school for girls in Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
, the Papazogleios.
Georgios Sinas
Georgios Sinas
Georgios Sinas was a Greek entrepreneur, banker and national benefactor. He was the founder of the Athens National Observatory.- Biography :Georgios Sinas was born in Niš in 1783 of Greek or possibly Vlach origin, to Northern Epirotian parents. At an early age Sinas lost his mother and was grown...
, Director of the Bank of Austria for 25 years, was a national benefactor, responsible for the building of the National Astronomical Observatory in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and was among the first trustees of the Bank of Greece
Bank of Greece
The Bank of Greece is the nationalcentral bank of Greece, located in Athens on Panepistimiou Street, with several branches across the country. Founded in 1927...
after Greek independence. He was born in Moschopolis of Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...
and was of Skamneliot descent.
Simon Sinas
Simon Sinas
- Biography :Simon Sinas was born in 1810 in Vienna. He was of Greek origin, while his family originated from Moscopole. He served as Greek Consul in Vienna, and later as Minister to Austria, the Kingdom of Bavaria, and Germany. The son of Georgios Sinas, also a benefactor and diplomat, Sinas...
, baron, son of Georgios Sinas
Georgios Sinas
Georgios Sinas was a Greek entrepreneur, banker and national benefactor. He was the founder of the Athens National Observatory.- Biography :Georgios Sinas was born in Niš in 1783 of Greek or possibly Vlach origin, to Northern Epirotian parents. At an early age Sinas lost his mother and was grown...
, was a Greek Consul in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He funded the building of the National Academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, considered by some as the most beautiful neoclassical building in the world.
Sources
- www.timfi.gov.gr (in Greek)