Vrysochori is a mountainous village, built in a green landscape with lush vegetation, running waters and immense forests, now part of the North Pindos National Park. The village is the western border of the area of Zagori where even today the Aromanian is spoken.
Originally it belonged to the vlach villages of Aoos Valley (Konitsa). However, from a historical point of view, it joined Zagori and in the meantime also differentiated in terms of its characteristics. So today it is part of the cultural and historical unity of Central Zagori.
History and Information about Vrysochori
About the village
Vrysochori used to belong to the Vlachohoria of Lakka of Aoos (Elefthero, Paleoseli, Pades, Armata and Distrato). Today it is one of the Vlachohoria of Zagori and is part of the historical and cultural unity of Central Zagori.
The exact date of establishment of the settlement is not known. According to tradition, before Vrysochori developed into a village, it was settled by clans that formed small settlements. The first settlements were established at the time of King Pyrrhus and over time and the increase in population a number of residents moved creating two new settlements.
When later the settlements collapsed and the current village was created, which was named Agios Athanasios after the homonymous chapel of the Saint. The final unification of the settlements probably took place in the 8th AD. century in the context of the organization of the Communities of the Byzantine Empire.
Some of the first inhabitants were Albanian-Blachs, known as Buioi (Boys) or Boiani which comes from the name Buia, brought by the first leaders of this tribe who were wild and initially lived in huts. Also mentioned are members of the same tribe as that of the Bouia, who were blond and fearless.
As for the name, I. Lambridis mentions the village with the type Lesnitsa and the interpretation as “leptokaryona” i.e. a forest with hazelnut trees. According to Konstantinos Oikonomou (Toponymic of Zagori), this is a toponym found in three Slavic languages, attested from the second half of the 14th century and derived from the word lëska “hazelnut”
In 1927, as part of the Hellenization of the names of the villages, Lesinitsa was renamed Vrysochori after the many fountains that the area had.
The course of the village over time
The abundance of water favored grain and horticultural crops.
During the difficult periods such as 1917-1922 and during the German occupation, many residents of the neighboring and other villages of Zagori survived thanks to the products of Vrysochori.
In the past they cultivated vines and there was a large production of wine and tsipouro. Today, there are no vines.
The extensive and dense forests around the area of Vrysochori were a refuge for many wild animals and game. Since ancient times, many residents have had hunting as their daily occupation. Besides the routes in the forest they ensured, especially in difficult times, plenty of meat for their families. In general, hunting events used to be important events for hunters.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the migration of many residents and the search for better living conditions in richer places is observed. At the same time, the financial assistance of the immigrants helped the village to progress from the 18th century and then the village showed great prosperity.
In World War II and the Civil War the residents saw their village burned three times: twice by the Nazis (18/10/1943, July 1944) and once during the Civil War (1945-49).
Vrysochori had the same fate as the rest of the villages in the area. What’s more. the migration of young people to the big cities resulted in the gradual desolation of the village which isolated it, since until 1996 there was only a manual telephone and the road connecting Vrysochori with Paleoselli was asphalted in 2009.
What to see in Vrysochori
St Charalampos
It is a large and impressive church in the main square of the village. The construction of the church began in 1799 and was completed in 1814, when it was inaugurated by the then Metropolitan of Ioannina Gabriel in September 1814.
The expatriates offered the most as well as the Monastery of the Holy Trinity from its income. Before the inauguration there was a controversy as to as to which Saint will be honored. Hierarch Gabriel asked for a list to find out which of the inhabitants offered the most and realizing that those who wanted Saint Charalambos to be honored in this Temple had offered the most money, without any hesitation, he opened the door chanting the apology of Saint Charalambos.
Since then, this holy temple became the symbol for the village and the reference point for every for every resident of Vrysochori, resident and expatriate.
Source: «ΑΓΙΟΣ ΧΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΟΣ» 1814-2013, Τα Νέα του Βρυσοχωρίου, τεύχος 84
The Monastery of Holy Trinity
It is located 13 km. from the village and at an altitude of 950m. and dates from the 17th century.
St Athanasios
It is the first and oldest temple of the village. According to tradition when in the 8th AD century, all the settlements were merged into one village, which was named Agios Athanasios.
St Dimitrios
It is built in the center of the settlement and was first built more than four centuries ago.
The church of Kato Panagia
It is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
Stone carvings in Vrysochori
Maria Tsoupi – Remou writes about the stone sculptures that are in Vrysochori and that adorn the houses:
More than 100 samples of folk stone sculpture are located in Vrysochori. Stone carving is one of the expressions of traditional handicrafts, such as wood carving, painting, embroidery, weaving, silversmithing, metalworking and ceramics.
It is noteworthy that Vrysochori is one of the few villages of Zagori, where one can often find these excellent examples of the art of pelicans – craftsmen of the masonry company.
All these stone carvings enhance the sense of liberation from the negative forces of Evil. They are amulet “points” that give way to the metaphysical concerns of man and create conditions for experiencing the divine presence.
The stone bridges of Vrysochori
Of the 19 stone bridges of the village that have been recorded, today only six survive, located inside and outside the village:
The bridge of Skarvena is built just outside the village of Vrysochori, next to the provincial road that connects central Zagori with Palioseli and the other villages of Konitsi, in Lakka Aou.
The bridge of Garanis inside the settlement, the bridge of Kοuitsa a small beautiful bridge at the entrance of the village, the bridges of Siannos two small single-arched bridges next to each other in Vrysochori, the bridge of Tsamare (=big) and the bridge of Tzanika (=small).
Source: TΑ ΠΕΤΡΙΝΑ ΓΕΦΥΡΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΒΡΥΣΟΧΩΡΙΟΥ (Αδαμάντιος Τσιομίδης «Τα νέα του Βρυσοχωρίου» τεύχος 102)
Celebrations, Events and Customs in Vrysochori
The active Educational and Mountaineering Association (M.O.S.) founded in 1970 is active by organizing celebrations and events so that the visit of guests and other visitors is pleasant.
The festivals that are celebrated and gather people are: the Festival of Agia Paraskevi on July 26-28 and the Festival of the Holy Trinity at the beginning of June in the monastery of the same name.
The Association also established the Pie Festival. It is a beautiful cultural event and celebration that started in 1991 and continues to this day. Every first Saturday of the third ten days of August, the women of the village make pies that they offer to those present and the program of course includes the traditional feast in the village square.
Theschure
An important, original and unique custom is “THESHOURE”. It is dedicated to the male dead of the village. It is, in a way, an invitation, made with the purpose of honoring the people who have left, bringing back their names aurally to memory and finally reminding the living of the cruel, fatal and inevitable course of man.
Theshure takes place in the square of the church of Agios Charalambos and from the bell tower, which is the tallest of the other two bell towers of the village. The bell can be heard in a very long distance and the location in the Eastern part of the village dominates the entire area. The custom takes place every year during Holy Week, specifically on the afternoon of Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday. It starts about an hour before sunset and ends shortly after sunset.
Source: ΘΕΣΧΟΥΡΕ, Τα Νέα του Βρυσοχωρίου, Αρ. φ. 82, Ευτυχία Οικονόμου – Γεωργοπούλου
The Fairy Fountain
From time immemorial, the power of water and the beauty of nature have been the catalyst for humans and have enlivened their imagination by creating myths with ethereal creatures, the fairies. The myths want them beautiful and inaccessible, but in the end they prove to be vulnerable to love and end up succumbing to the love of handsome and brave men, preferably of royal descent. Why not?A myth can have love, money, and blue bloods. Such a beautiful place as the Fairy Fountain at the roots of Tsuka Rossa could not but have its own fairies.
And as narrated in his book “Vrysochori” by Nikolaos Exarchos, according to the mythical tradition of the village from ancient times at the roots of the mountain is the ravine called Aboutsia in paraphrase of the Vlach word Amoutsa which means fainting.
Up there on the rock a spring gushes. At this point, always according to the legend, the hunters set a trap for wild goats and at the same time they saw the fairies that lived in the caves and went down to the stream and under the waterfall they bathed and spread their headscarves on the stones to dry.
At one point there was only one fairy left, the others may have left that place. At that time the son of the king of Epirus – yes, yes the prince – was looking for his lost sister in the mountains of the area. Arriving at the stream he saw the fairy bathing and rushed to catch her. The prince continued reaching the fountain that exists today. There he finally managed to catch her and finally make her his wife. And as the legend ends, instead of his sister, he found a wife and even a fairy. And they lived well and we were left with the curiosity of what happened to the sister.
The hiking trail with a few difficult passages but on an amazing path in dense vegetation leads to this famous fountain that gushes icy water.
Activities
The location of Vrysochori is suitable for many wonderful hiking, hiking or car routes. There are so many that we list some of them. Very nice route by car is to Gyftokampos, Skamneli and Laista and farther to the villages of Lakka tou Aoos (Paleoselli, Elefthero, Pades, etc.). For the climbers, the peaks of Tymfi (Gamila, Tsouka Rossa) stand up challenging and inviting.
There are many hiking trails, difficult and easy. For the most adventurous and lovers of wild rivers is the crossing of the gorge of Aoos to the Bridge of Konitsa, a very difficult route, since from this point to the Monastery of Stomiou in several places there is not even a path and one must swim to continue its course. Information can be obtained from the Educational and Mountaineering Association of the village.
