Zagori is endowed
with a rich architectural heritage.
Countless monuments
and entire traditional villages,
are spread all over
its 1000 square km area.

Cobbled streets inside the villages as well as in rural areas between them, over 80 arched stone bridges, 24 monasteries and countless churches and chapels, hundreds of examples of Zagorian architecture are preserved to this day.

This magnificent heritage was achieved thanks to the wealth that came from the commercial activity of the diaspora of the Zagorians. It was mostly the kind rivalry of her well-to-do children who had a very high sense of patriotism and benevolence to society as a whole, behind many important buildings and infrastructure. Especially bridges bear the name of the benefactor who managed to built it or fund any major restoration work. The same happened for other important buildings as well. As for example in the case of the exceptional Negades Triune Church, funded exclusively by Chatzimanthos Ginos, a general supplier of the Ottoman army who was born in this village.

Zagori was built and maintained by a caste of excellent builders from a famous group of villages in the area of Konitsa called the Mastorochoria, who were responsible for the respective remarkable architectural heritage of many other areas of Greece, such as Pelion, as well as of distant territories of the Ottoman Empire or even Persia and Egypt.

Zagori lost a great part of its architecture heritage during WWII, as inhabitants were aiding the resistance against occupation forces. But even the affected villages, still keep important architecture examples, as private houses, fountains, stone bridges, churches and monasteries.
In recent years, Zagori architecture heritage was affected negatively by the demand for rapid tourist development and due to the inadequate protection status (landmark designation).
This course now seems halted, especially as Zagori is now nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
Despite that loss, Zagori is still a remarkable architectural treasure.