Tsepelovo

Name

Scholar Ioannis Lambridis wrote the etymology of the place name referred to 'a village under the sword and not belonging to the sword' and said others described it as meaning 'a place full of grass' in Turkish. Linguist Max Vasmer derived it from a proper name of Turko-Tatar origin and the Slavic suffix -ονο. Linguist Kostas Oikonomou states the toponym stems from a Greek origin surname Tsepelis and the Slavic suffix -οvο which became productive in Greek and formed the place name.

The surname Tsepelis comes from the Turkish gepel 'meaning 'dirty, filthy or bad, unpleasant', a word that also appears in South Slavic toponyms although absent in South Slavic personal names. The form present in Western Slavic personal names is of a different etymological origin.

History

Tsepelovo was founded in the 16th century. In the Ottoman period, the village was an administrative centre of the Zagori region. It remained relatively prosperous until the end of Ottoman rule (1912). The village was a local trade center, and remains so especially because of the trade of timber. In 1820, before the outbreak of the Greek Revolution and the defeat of Ali Pasha, the poet Ioannis Vilaras and the famous Epirote scholar Athanasios Psalidas came from Ioannina to prepare the people for the great national revolt. Psalidas also taught for 2 years at the local school.

The traditional stone architecture is visible in every building, in the village paths, dwellings and churches. The historical church of Agios Nikolaos was renovated at 1753 and decorated with unique wall paintings by exceptional painters of nearby Kapesovo.

Two kilometers out of the village, in the Vikaki (Greek: small Vikos) canyon lies the monastery of St John Rogovou. It was founded at 1028 by the sister of Emperor Romanos III Argyros of Byzantium. It was rebuilt in 1749, possibly after it was damaged by fire, and the frescoes were painted by iconographers from Kapesovo. Neofytos Doukas wanted to establish there the Higher School of Epirus (), a high level educational institution. Because of the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence and the military conflicts the idea could not become reality.

The village has historically also been settled by Christian Orthodox Albanians, who largely came after the 15th century, later assimilating into the local population. Sarakatsani have settled at the beginning of the 20th century.

The people of Tsepelovo used to emigrate within Greece to Macedonia, Thrace and to areas of southern Greece. Outside Greece, they mainly migrated to Asia Minor and the U.S.

Today, the village is a popular destination for tourists during the winter season.

Demographics

|1991|304 |2001|348 |2011|261 |2021|220

Nearest places

• Skamneli, east (distance: 4 km)
• Vradeto, west (distance: 7 km)

Notable people

• Konstantinos Rados, merchant and member of Filiki Eteria.
• Marika Kotopouli (1887–1954), actress.

Gallery

File:Τσεπελοβο 07.jpg|Tsouflion Pharmacy and the grave of I. Villaras in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 18.jpg|Partial view of the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 28.jpg|Stone alley in the village File:Τσεπελοβο 030.jpg|Traditional grocery in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 33.jpg|Partial view of the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 058.jpg|Partial view of the square in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 103.jpg|Tradiotinal house in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 108.jpg|Chimney of a traditional house in the village. File:Τσεπελοβο 115.jpg|Partial view of the traditional houses in the village.

References

Bibliography

References

1. Oikonomou, Kostas E.. (2002). "Τα οικωνύμια του νομού Ιωαννίνων. Γλωσσολογική εξέταση". Nomarchiaki Aftodioikisi Ioanninon.
2. "Archived copy".
3. A.Kathareios (Inspector of the 1st educational region of Epirus) ''Report of Inspection of Zagorohoria in 1913''
4. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)". National Statistical Service of Greece.
5. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός". Hellenic Statistical Authority.