Churches Megalo Papigo:
– The church of
Agios Vasilios, the patron saint of shepherds, built in 1852 in the place of an older temple of 908. The church is built with unique architecture and features paintings 100 years old. The stone church of Agios Vasilios is a large basilica and has a hexagonal steeple. The church celebrates on February 11.
– A cobbled path leads you to the church of St. George built in 1774 and renovated in 1880. The interior is significantly decorated with rare icons and the bell tower which has a height of 10 meters is really impressive.
– Other churches to visit in Megalo Papigo is the church of St. Nicholas, the Assumption of the 18th century and the churches of St. Christopher located in a prime position with wonderful views of Ai Lias (Saint Elias).
Churches Mikro Papigo:
– The Church of the Archangels is the only church that exists in Mikro Papigo and has been classified as preserved by the Ministry of Culture. It is estimated that it was built in its present form in the 18th century and inside there are old special icons. The temple is very old and has ornate decoration.
The Library of Michael Anagnostopoulos: It is located in Papigo in West Zagori and it is personal collection. The collection includes over 1.250 volumes, most foreign language as the Greek were looted during the possesion period. All books have been published between 1750 and 1906.
The monastery of Panagia Spiliotissa: It is built on a rock on the left bank of Voidomatis River. It is located on the road leading from Aristi to Papigo and it is dedicated to the Assumption. According to I. Lambridis the monastery was built in 1579 while the preserved inscriptions indicate that it was built in 1665 by the monks Joachim and Sophronios and the hagiographies were painted by the monk Parthenios in 1673.
The residents fled τo the monastery of Panagia Spiliotissa when they were in danger from the Turks. The monastery acquired great prosperity and fame in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Although it is dedicated to the Assumption, is celebrated in Zoodochos Pigi’s.
The gilded carved iconostasis is the highest art of the 17th century while the abbot is decorated with plant representations, work of G. Anastasiou Chioniaditi painter who painted it in March 1874. The frescoes of the monastery date back to 1673 and is the work of the painters Ioanis, Dimitriou and Georgiou. The monastery kept in very good condition due to the successive maintenance in recent years.
Kolimbithres (Fonts) Papigo: About 500 meters before arriving at Mikro Papigo is the stream of Rogovo and a sign that informs you about the fonts. If you follow the path you will reach the first fonts where substantially narrows the stream and converts into a small gorge. During the summer months you can swim or relax in one of the fonts.
Drakolimni of Gamila is located in Tymfi at an altitude of 2.100 meters. It is located in a unique natural landscape and it is a popular hiking destination. The alpine lake has permanent water and its special feature are the Alpine Tritons (Triturus alpestris), a rare species of amphibian that resembles a small dragon. The lake can be reached after about 4 hours hiking from Mikro Papigo and it is an 1-hour from the shelter in the saddle of Astraka.
The National Park of Vikos-Aoos: It is located in Zagori, on the north of Ioannina and at the northeast borders of the National Park of Pindos – Valia Calda. It is a protected site of natural heritage that was declared a National Park in 1973. The area is part of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 and is distinguished by the changes in the scenery: dense wooded areas sequence steep cliffs.
The area of the Vikos-Aoos is one of the ten National Parks of Greece and includes the Vikos Gorge, along with Voidomatis River are the core of the park. Also in the area includes part of the range of Tymfi the Aoos gorge and some conserved settlements.
Within the boundaries of the park are some of the most important villages of Zagori such as Monodendri, Mikro and Megalo Papigo and Vikos. Around the park there are Aristi the villages Vitsa, Agios Minas, Vradeto, Kapesovo and Vrisochori.
The Park has an area of 122.250 hectares of which 34.120 hectares is the main core. The area is steep with high peaks with the highest that of Gamila at 2.497 meters in Tymfi. There are five endemic species unique in the world. Impressive is also the collection of the naturalist Kostas Lazarides who has collected 1.240 different plant species representing 96 of the 149 plant families. The collection can be admired at the natural history museum in Koukouli.
The Park has a rich fauna which includes 10 species of amphibians as the rare alpine triton, 21 reptile species, 130 bird species such as the endangered black stork and the golden eagle and 24 species of mammals such as bears, boars, deers etc. Vikos-Aoos include a very rare and extremely sensitive ecosystem so it is not allowed any human activity, except for browsing and recreation.
