Zygovisti is a mountain village in the prefecture of Arkadia. It is built at an altitude of 1,160 meters on the slopes of Mainalos and is one of the most mountainous settlements in the Peloponnese. It has been declared a traditional settlement. Zygovisti belongs to the municipality of Gortynias and its population according to the 2001 census is 142 inhabitants, who are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and construction. It is 6 kilometers from Dimitsana.
It was founded by the Kontogiannis family, who came from Messinia,
around 1700. The surrounding area is characterized by exceptional
natural beauty, with the main features being the fir-covered slopes of
Klinitsa and the ravine of the Lousios river. In Zygovisti there is a
marble monument in the shape of an open book which is dedicated to the
200 "Immortals" of Zygovisti who were the bodyguard of Theodoros
Kolokotronis during the revolution of 1821. According to the historian
Photakos "the enemy never saw the backs of the Immortals". On the
outskirts of the village, in a ravine above the Lousios river, is the
monastery of Panagia Aemialou.
According to tradition, three
thieves, relatives of the Elder of Moria, were trapped and killed in the
Linos of the monastery, perhaps after the monk's betrayal. Linos has
been restored and next to it there are three cypress trees planted in
memory of the fallen young men.
Pausanias, in his "Arkadika",
places Zygovisti in the Sanctuary of Callisti Artemis and in the tomb of
Callistos! It was first inhabited by the family of Kontogiannai, who, in
1608, founded, near Zygovisti, the Monastery of Emyalon! The central
church of the Monastery was built in 1630, while the Metropolitan Church
of the village of the Transfiguration of the Savior with its elaborate
wood-carved icon was built in 1810 and, indeed, within 40 days! The
building of the Kapodistrian school built in 1830 is also worth
preserving!
The village had an important role during the
Revolution of 1821, as its inhabitants were among the first to follow
Theodoros Kolokotronis, who used them as his bodyguards under the name
"Immortal Corps": in their honor the central square of the village is
called Immortals Square , in which there is a marble monument.
The population of Zygovistion experienced stability in the period 1879 - 1940 but after the war it decreased significantly. In the last three decades it has been relatively stable.