Monodendri (Ioannina)

Monodendri (Μονοδένδρι) is a village of Zagori region (Epirus periphery), in the municipality of central Zagori. It is 41 km north of Ioannina.

As the rest of Zagori villages, during the 17th and 18th century the village faced an extended period of commercial and economic prosperity. Schools were built, churches of Byzantine architecture and luxurious stone manors (Αρχοντικά). It was the birthplace of the merchants and national benefactors Manthos and Georgios Rizaris, and of Angelos Kitsos (former president of the Rizarios Foundation). Monodendri is built at a height of 1060 meters and maintains intact the traditional stone-built architecture.

The church of Aghios Athanasios, in the middle of the central square, is of significant historical value. The bequests of the Rizari brothers are present in the village today, such as the local exhibition center, the school of crafts and the primary school. The amphitheatrically built stone theater, in the village end, is a place of cultural festivals during summer months.

History
Out of the village, lies the historical monastery of Agia Paraskevi, built on the edge of the Vikos Gorge. The monastery was founded at 1412, by Michael Voevodas Therianos and the people of Vitsa, during the reing of Carlo I Tocco.The panoramic view from the monastery is spectacular.

The name "Monodendri" only came in use only from the beginning of the 19th century. The name comes form a very large tree, whose remains still existed in at least 1910. The village was previously considered a neighbourhood of Upper Vitsa (Ano Vitsa) and was called upper neighbourhood of Vitsa.

Monodendrians usually migrated to Macedonia and Southern Greece. Outside Greece, they migrated to Egypt, Romania, Asia minor, Africa and the U.S.

During the last years the village is a famous tourist destination in winter season.