St. Viniri – The Sacred Forest

With neighbors like these, who needs family?

The forest of Agia Paraskevi in Vovousa, a mountainous village in Western Greece, is one of the last remaining sacred forests. Untouched by the passage of time, it’s being preserved by the myths that comprise the village’s oral tradition, which in turn passes on from generation to generation and building 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 survives without any human intervention – something rare in our modern times.