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THE REGION

Megalohari is one of the villages of the Municipality of Tetrafilia. It is built at the foot of Mount Gavrogou 58 kilometres from Arta. It is located in the South-eastern region of the County of Arta, at a point where three Counties meet (Arta, Karditsa, and Evritania).

ACTIVITIES IN THE GENERAL REGION

Free camping at Kranies, walking route from Astrohori to Mount Astri, climbing on the mountainous trail in Megalohari (by foot, or this can be done on horseback). Rafting and Kayaking on the Aheloos River (downstream from Mseopirgos to the Avlaki Bridge or the Vrouvianon Bridge, total distance of about 10 kilometers). Swimming, walking, and cycling near the Aheloos River, sporting activities at Megalohari and Mesopirgos (basketball, football, etc.).

BYZANTINE and POST-BYZANTINE MONUMENTS

The Holy Monastery of Seltsou at Piges (built 1697) - a recognised monument, the Church of Mesopirgos (1781) - with important wall paintings, the Monastery of Megalohari - built in the 13th Centrury, with beautiful wall paintings and icons.

JOURNEY TO MEGALOHARI

The journey to Megalohari is full of beautiful and ever-changing scenery. One sees many forests full of fir and plane trees and many orchards full of apple and cherry trees. Many streams descend through the lush green vegetation and the dense forests. The winding road to Megalohari reaches 1000m height at Kranies, and has many ups and downs offering wonderful views of the vegetation, the mountain tops, the mature forests, etc.

MEGALOHARI

The beautiful houses of Megalohari are lost in the green scenery in summer, and are whitened in winter by the snow.The village has plentiful and varied local produce, including many fruits and vegetables, nuts and honey. At a distance of 8 kilometres, exactly under the village of Mesopirgos, is the great 'white' river of Aheloos, which can be crossed, with some difficulty, on foot in the summer, or one can try the unique experience of crossing the river in a 'transport basket', at the Vraggiana crossing.

SOME HISTORY

The village was called Botsi by the Soulites of Votsara, who found refuge there from Ali Pasha during the Greek Revolution. Much later its name was changed to Megalohari in honour of the local Monastery.During the years of the Ottoman Empire and its occupation of Greece all the villages of Upper Radoviziou were exploited by Turkish Pashas, except Botsi because most of the best lands belonged to the Monastery, and the Sultan had an agreement with the Orthodox Patriarch not to exploit Church lands.

The citizens of Botsi took part in many battles against the Ottomans with many sucesses.

On the 15th of January 1854 many citizens of the Radovioziou valley gathered together at the Botsi Monestary, and of those, 400 who could bear arms were sworn on the Holy Bible, the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Cross that they would defend their homeland until death. Thus started the Revolution of Arta against the Ottomans. They then took the decision to descend to Arta and attack the Ottoman garrison there.

The region was liberated from the Ottomans in 1881. The citizens of Botsi took part in the Balkans Wars (1912-13) against the Ottomans and the Bulgarians for the liberation of Macedonia. In the Second World War on the Italian-Greek front, many citizens of Botsi fought at Kalpaki and Tepeleni. During the Resistance against the Italian and German Occupation many citizens of the village fought, and some participated in the destruction of the Gorgopotamos Bridge.

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