Mousiotitsa ( el, Μουσιωτίτσα) or Kato Mousiotitsa ( el, Κάτω Μουσιωτίτσα, ) is a village located in the Ioannina regional unit in the Epirus region ( el, Ήπειρος) of western

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Situated 33 km south of the city of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

( el, Ιωάννινα) near the springs of the river Louros ( el, ποταμός Λούρος), the village consists of 4 areas: Kato Mousiotitsa ( el, Κάτω Μουσιωτίτσα), Ano Mousiotitsa ( el, 'Ανω Μουσιωτίτσα), Nea Mousiotitsa ( el, Νέα Μουσιωτίτσα) and Mesoura ( el, Μεσούρα). It is surrounded by 5 mountains: Bitera ( el, Μπιτέρα), Spithari ( el, Σπιθάρι), Pourizi ( el, Πουρίζι), Kalogeritsa ( el, Καλογερίτσα) and Katafi ( el, Καταφή). The village has a permanent population of around 605 (2011 census), however, in the summer months the numbers can soar past 1000 as expatriates return from abroad (e.g. Sweden, Germany, USA, Canada) and from Athens and other larger cities. As of 2011 the village belongs to the municipality of

Dodoni Dodoni ( el, Δωδώνη) is a village and a municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Agia Kyriaki (community Theriakisi). The modern village of Dodoni is located near the ancient ci ...

( el, Δωδώνη) after the merger of its previous municipal unit

Agios Dimitrios Agios Dimitrios (Greek: Άγιος Δημήτριος meaning Saint Dimitrios, before 1928: Μπραχάμι - ''Brahami'') is a suburb in the southern part of the Athens, Greece. Geography Agios Dimitrios is situated 5 km south of Athens c ...

( el, Άγιος Δημήτριος) with three other units.

History

Origin and etymology of name

The true origin of the name Mousiotitsa ( el, Μουσιωτίτσα) is unknown. It has been speculated by scholars that the name may be of Slavic origin due to its conspicuous ending of "itsa" - a common occurrence in Slavic settlement names. Other more local theories suggest the name is derived from old myths of ancient river dwellers known as "Mouses" ( el, Mούσες) or from a queen who resided in what is now the ruins of a castle dating back to the 3rd century AD.

Initial settlement

It is widely regarded to have been settled in the early 18th century. The old St. Nicholas church is first mentioned in the Greek church archives in the year 1791. Its first inhabitants are believed to have been

Klephts Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were know ...

( el, κλέφτες) and other refugees fleeing from Ottoman oppression or persecution. The shape of its geographical surroundings shielded the village and its inhabitants from view, thus providing a safe place to dwell. The village is believed to have belonged to the group of villages that made up the

Souli Souli ( el, Σούλι) is a municipality in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Paramythia. Name and History The origin of the name Souli is uncertain. In the earliest historical text about Souli, written ...

( el, Σούλι) mountain settlements. Several facts support this belief, such as local names resembling common

Souliot The Souliotes were an Orthodox Christian Albanian tribal community in the area of Souli in Epirus from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, who via their participation in the Greek War of Independence came to identify with the ...

names and some knowledge of

Arvanitika Arvanitika (; Arvanitika: , ; Greek: , ), also known as Arvanitic, is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece. Arvanitika is today endangered, as its speakers have been shifting to the use ...

( el, αρβανίτικα) among village elders.

World War II Massacre

On July 25, 1943, followed by 27 August 1943, German SS troops entered the village and executed a total of 153 civilians. The attack and resulting massacre was seen as retaliation by the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

German troops against alleged resistance activity in the village, and that it had supported a deadly attack on a German officer in the nearby area of Zita.

References

External links