Kapesovo: The 16th century Greek
village where all inhabitants have ancient Greek names
by PAULINA KARAVASILI
Every Greek village, big or
small, has its own beauty, uniqueness and special history.
From strange stories about how
they received their names, to how many years they have been inhabited, villages
and their traditions are a big part of Greek culture.
Many villages, both in mainland
Greece and on the Greek islands, also stand out for their local dialect – which
even Greeks from different areas themselves cannot understand – their local
dishes and all the goods they produce.
Kapesovo, a green, picturesque,
stone village of just 51 residents, that belongs to the Municipality of Zagori,
is known for another, very unique reason; almost all its residents have ancient
Greek names.
This is a tradition which has
been passed down from generation to generation for many years, and the locals
of Kapesovo still continue to proudly follow it.
Photo from Instagram by costislamprou
Kapesovo has been inhabited for
about 4 centuries and was founded around the 16th century. It is located 43 km
from the popular city of Ioannina, and it is also a short driving distance away
from the gorge of Vikos.
The little village is also
connected to other neighbouring villages, such as Vradeto, through stone paths,
which are remarkable not only because of their charm, but also because of they
way they are built, with thin stone floors.
Besides its natural beauty,
Kapesovo is an excellent example of traditional continental architecture.
Impressive stone houses, well-preserved cobbled streets, imposing mansions, are
all sitting harmoniously on the top a of an imposing mountain, and create the
perfect winter landscape.
Along with other villages in the
area, it is perched above the ravine of Mezaria mountain in Zagori, at an
altitude of 1120 m, and has been characterized by historians as a traditional
Greek settlement.
In the 16th century, 20 families
from the small village of Kapuska, which is located nearby Kapesovo, moved to
the stone village and started building their own little community from scratch.
The first population census in
the village, in 1928, counted 124 people, while the latest census in 2011,
counted almost one third of the initial population, just 51 people, as many
residents moved to bigger metropolitan areas.
Even though today Kapesovo is
smaller than ever before – in terms of it population – it is also louder than
ever, as it has become a beloved touristic destination over the winter months.
In the centre of the village,
there is one of the most beautiful monuments of the whole Zagori area, the
stone church of Agios Nikolaos, which was built in 1793. The interior of the
church is filled with extraordinary frescoes, made by the famous Kapesovite
painters, with clear western influences.
In fact, the entire village of
Kapesovo is famous for its artistic roots. During the 17th and 18th centuries,
many of its inhabitants distinguished themselves around Greece as admirable
artists. Some were painters and architects, while others were woodcarvers and
hagiographers. Many of the churches of the villages in the Zagori and Epirus
areas, were built and decorated by the locals of Kapesovo, who were known for
their artistic talent.
Most of the residents of Kapesovo
have ancient names, such as Plato, Clearchus and Thucydides, which are much
rarer to find in all other parts of Greece.
This particular tradition started
in the beginning of the 19th century for two main reasons: On one hand because
Kapesovo’s inhabitants received classical education and studied ancient
philosophers and writers, and on the other hand, because they wanted to keep
alive their Greek spirit and what they called their “Greekness”, of their then
Turkish-occupied village, during Ottoman rule.
Kapesovo, along with other
villages in the northern Greece, belongs to Zagorochoria (villages of Zagori),
which is a complex of 46 villages in total, all with their own beauty and
grace.
Zagorochoria are one of the top
travel destinations among Greeks, and are particularly famous for their stone
houses, lush forests, secret little paths, and natural landscape, which changes
from green to orange every season of the year.