St. Viniri – The Sacred Forest

The forest of Agia Paraskevi in Vovousa, eastern Zagori, is one of the last remaining sacred forests in Greece. Untouched by the passage of time, it is preserved by the myths of the village’s oral tradition, passed on from generation to generation making up the forest’s legend. People say that if the forest is “disturbed” in any way, the consequences will be devastating. As a result, the forest continues its long existence without any human intervention, a rare thing in our modern times.

Konstantina Messini

Konstantina Messini was born in Greece in 1996. She is a graduate of the Department of Audiovisual Arts of the Ionian University, specialising in direction and multimedia. She works with video, photography, animation and the performance arts. The documentary St. Viniri-The Sacred Forest was created as part of her final year thesis.