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Christos Stavrakos
University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece;
chstavra@uoi.gr
Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Foundation Legends of Monasteries in Epirus:
Interactions/Connections between the Past and Present
and Its Understanding in the Society
The research regarding the traditions surrounding the foundation of monasteries in Epirus
revealed something quite interesting. Most of the monasteries link their founding to the emperor
Justinian I and later on to Constantine IV. At the same time however, the cases of other founders
like the byzantine princess Poulcheria, sister to the emperor Romanos III Argyros but also the cases
of officials with names similar to the toponyms (the byzantine official Kabasilas as the founder of
the baths of Kabasila and others) are particularly interesting. In the first case the choice proves that
the basic condition for the choice of the individual was the fine knowledge of the byzantine period
ergo the existence of education similar to the one found among the clergy or the monastic circles,
from where this legend possibly came from. The second case is a typical example of how a toponym
can be the cause for the choosing of an individual with similar name and for the creation of the
corresponding legend.
It’s not surprising that all the traditions regarding monasteries in Epirus link those buildings
to the byzantine past. It is only logical for the Christian monuments to seek their roots to the first
Christian empire a part of which was Epirus. The promotion of the christian monuments to standards
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of the Byzantine Empire had twofold results. On the one hand the stature of those monasteries as
religious centres and places of pilgrimage was increased in the eyes of the faithful and on the other
hand their importance compared to other monasteries which did not possess such a background.
The monasteries that we will present which are linked by tradition to significant byzantine
emperors or officials, date in their majority to the 16
th
and the 17
th
century, i.e. during the first
centuries after the occupation of the Balkan Peninsula by the Ottomans.
A particularly remarkable economic activity takes place in Epirus during the 16
th
century.
This activity is indicative of the fine economic state its residents enjoy in. Even though Epirus was
never under Venetian rule, the geographical proximity to the Ionian Islands and the existence of
the ports in Sagiada, Parga and Preveza facilitated the transportation of goods and ideas from Italy.
These contacts were intensified during the early 16
th
century. Indicative of this situation was the fact
that the traders of Epirus in Ancona in 1514 and in 1517 received privileges and exemptions from
trade taxes. I have already addressed the lack of written and archived sources pertaining to Epirus
during the second half of the 15
th
century and in the early 16
th
century. Thus the monuments and
the monastic institutions in particular are the ones that can provide an image of the social activity,
of the educational life and of the educational level if not all but at least of a part of the populace that
had the sufficient economic potency.
Schools must have undoubtedly functioned in the monasteries on the isle of Ioannina’s lake. In
Arta, the presence of Maximos Graikos’ family was a safe indication of the existence of educational
activity and of people with a similar education. There is a strong commercial activity in the late 15
th
century between Epirus and Venice while the researchers concur that the establishment of the Greek
community in Venice in 1498 was a milestone for its relationship with Epirus. It is not a coincidence
then that during the 16
th
century a number of monasteries in Epirus are being founded, renovated or
expanded. This is definitely relating to the influx of money to the area from the increase of trade activities
with Italy. Already from the mid 16
th
century books arrive in Epirus that have been printed in Venice.
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