Collections

The Digital Repository of the Society for Epirotic Studies comprises an extensive and multifaceted corpus of nearly 34,000 items documenting the historical, social, and cultural development of the historic region of Epirus and the broader Greek world from the 19th to the 21st century.  

The collection is characterized by the predominance of textual material, with a primary focus on local as well as national press, including newspapers and periodicals, which constitute a key resource for studying public life, political discourse, and social change. This is complemented by archival documents, as well as a limited number of books and literary works, enhancing its research value. A significant component is the photographic archive, which captures aspects of everyday life, collective memory, and cultural activity. Paintings from the Gallery, cartographic materials, and three-dimensional objects—mainly sculptures and portrait busts—further enrich the collection.  

The collection constitutes a comprehensive resource for the study of Epirote identity and its place within the Greek cultural landscape, highlighting the region’s enduring contribution to the arts and letters.  

The Folklore Museum of Metsovo collection comprises an extensive and multifaceted body of material (1200 items), ranging from domestic and agricultural objects to artworks and items of historical memory. Among these are weapons and swords from the Greek War of Independence (1821), copper and wooden utensils, jewelry, costumes, silverware, decorative objects, and production tools such as looms and textiles. Particularly noteworthy are the collections of woven and embroidered items, which reflect the technical skill and aesthetic traditions of the region.

Of special importance is the collection of icons, which includes 66 works dating from the 15th to the early 20th century, as well as objects of Byzantine metalwork spanning from the early Christian period to the late Byzantine era. 

Chronologically, the collection extends from Classical antiquity (primarily through coins) to the late 20th century, forming a coherent narrative of the diachronic evolution of material culture and historical memory in the region.

The Folklore Museum of Metsovo, also known as the “Archontiko,” is housed in the Tositsa Mansion, originally built in 1661 as the ancestral residence of the benefactor Tositsas family. A visit to the museum offers an immersive experience that recreates the atmosphere of Metsovo during its period of economic prosperity, highlighting both everyday life and the social and economic structures of the time. In addition, the museum houses, on its third floor, the apartment of Evangelos Averoff, featuring personal belongings and photographic material, thus adding a more recent historical layer to the collection.