During the 20th century, changing patterns of land use and population decline have had a dramatic effect on rural Greece. Despite modernization, sacred groves have been degraded by still constitute an important part of the older generation’s identity.

An effort to survey the groves began in 2003 with financial support from the Greek Ministry of Environment and the EU. A new interdisciplinary project based at the University of Ioannina that aims to study the biocultural value of the groves is titled “Conservation through Religion: the Sacred Groves of Epirus” (SAGE, 2012-2015). A total of 38 social and natural scientists from Greece and abroad have been involved in this project that has received the local community’s positive interest.

A chapel dedicated to the Transfiguration/Metamorphosis of Christ and its associated belfry oak in Vitsa

Nikolaos Staras at Megala Pournaria, the sacred grove above Kato Pedina, a village at Zagori

Elisabeth Kapellou lights a candle at the chapel of Panagia Paliouri at Mikro Papingo. The chapel is surrounded by a sacred grove

Zeus gave his oracles from the sacred oaks of Dodona

For more about the religious conservation projects at Zagori, CLICK HERE