Project Description
Greveniti is built at an altitude of 980 m. and is at a distance of 44 km from Ioannina. It is one of the vlach villages in the area of Zagori and its inhabitants have been occupied with livestock and logging. The sight is amazing from the village, since the surrounding forests and the running water, complete the green scenery. The houses of the village do not have the typical characteristics that the visitor may encounter in Zagori, but the churches and cobbled streets maintain the traditional architecture of the area. After the village, in the direction of Vovousa, there is the stream of Zourikas, the waters of which are used from a fish farm breeding trouts. The historical monastery of Voutsa and the river Vardas lie lower from this site.
The central church of the village is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and in front of it, lies the large square with the plane tree and the old school of the village. Another church of the village is Saint Dimitrios, which is adorned with interesting 17th-century frescoes, and in the surroundings of which lies today the cemetery of the village. In the past, the village housed Puclic Services such as the Police Station, the Forestry, the Post Office, the Transitional Court, and Malamios Hospital, which offered first aid to the residents. Nowadays, only the Post Office operates.
During the German occupation, Greveniti faced a death toll. The village was burned down three or four times by the Germans, many houses were destroyed, while many were the residents that were executed. This fact also justifies the loss of the traditional character of the village’s houses. It is remarkable that at that time the Holly Monastery of Voutsa was also looted, which was one of the oldest of Epirus.
Therefore, Greveniti, has been characterized as a “Martyr Village”, like other villages in Zagori as well. Since 1991, a monument has been built in the village, where the names of the executed inhabitants during the German occupation are carved. Apart from the churches, there are also other sights in the area of Greveni such as the stone bridge of Kourtia and the small “lake with the water lilies”, located just outside the village. The stone fountains that exist in the village are of course, valuable, especially given the fact, as mentioned above, that the village has plenty of running water.