Episkopiana

Episkopiana can boast about being the place where the first governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was born. Even today, his house is well maintained in the village. It was in this house, in 1819, that the heroes of the Greek Revolution, Tzavellas and Kolokotronis, according to his memoirs, stayed as guests. Episkopiana is also called Psychopiana. The reason for this is that Kapodistrias called the villagers «Psychopianites mou» which means people of my soul.

Episkopiana is a quiet village, with about 200 residents, built on a hill, above the resort of Moraitika, in the southern part of the island. Narrow roads, lovely, colored, small houses built next to each other, small squares, many trees and a beautiful view of the sea are the elements which create the scene in Episkopiana.

There are two versions about the name of the village Episkopiana. The first version is that it was named after its natural, defensive and strategic position (epi skopon). The second version is that according to the administrative division of Byzantium, it was one of the villages which was a seat for the Episkeptitis (Governor). This is what is written about Episkopiana in documents from the Venetian administration: «This village belongs to Agios Georgios of the Venetians. It is privilegiato», which means it is privileged. During the years of the Venetian occupation, the village was always protected by a strong garrison.