[MGSA-L] athios fire - follow up report

[JUNESAM at aol.com]

[19] Fire at Mt. Athos monastery under control, major damage to buildings
reported

Athens, 5/3/2004 (ANA)

Fire-fighters battling a blaze at the historic Hilandarion Monastery on Mt.
Athos managed to bring the flames under control by Thursday afternoon, but
not before these had inflicted extensive damage to the 800-year-old
structure, built in 1188 AD.

All the monks and the hundreds of priceless relics stored at the monastery
had been saved from harm but the blaze had destroyed the monastery's guest
quarters, monks' cells, two chapels decorated with 17th-century murals, a
folk art collection and auxiliary buildings.

The extent of the damage was described as a ''disaster'' by an official of
the semi-autonomous, all-male monastic community on the Mount Athos
peninsula, also known as the ''Holy Mount''.

According to Polygyros Fire Department deputy chief Stylianos Ambaras, the
fire broke out around midnight and was caused by an electric heater in the
abbot's quarters. It then spread to the west wing of the monastery, which
housed the guest quarters, monk's cells and storage areas.

The 25 monks of Serb origin and a few laborers living at the monastery
found them battling the blaze unaided during the night, as the rugged
terrain around the monastery impeded swift access by the fire department.
The first firemen from Ierissos and Arnaia arrived at day-break, followed
by reinforcements from Polygyros and Thessaloniki.

Some 60 firemen and 11 fire-fighting vehicles eventually took part in the
operation to put out the fire, their efforts hampered by the highly
flammable wooden structures and by the fact that the vehicles had to cross
very rough country in order to restock their water supply in the sea.

The 10th-century Hilandarion Monastery, dedicated to the Presentation of
the Virgin Mary, is among the most historic of a score of medieval-era
monasteries scattered on Mt. Athos peninsula - an area noted for its
stunning natural beauty and a monastic community that dates back to the 5th
century AD, its origins shrouded in myth and legend.

The Holy Mount is a self-governed part of the Greek state, subject to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its political aspect and to the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople as regards its religious aspect.

According to ancient Greek mythology, the name Athos belongs to a Thracian
giant. During the conflict between the mythical gods and the giants, Athos
threw a huge rock at the god of the sea, Poseidon, but the rock slipped
through his fingers and fell to the sea creating a huge block of land which
is now Mount Athos.

According to Christian tradition, the Virgin Mary with John the Evangelist,
on their way to visit Lazarus in Cyprus, encountered a stormy sea that
forced them to temporarily seek refuge in the port which is now the
Monastery of Ivira. The Virgin Mary, admiring the wild beauty of the place,
asked God to give her the mountain as a present, and the voice of the Lord
was heard saying: ''Let this place be your lot, your garden and your
paradise, as well as a salvation, a haven for those who seek salvation''.

Since then, Mount Athos is considered as ''The Garden of the Virgin Mary''.

Fire at monastery on Mount Athos extinguished

A fire breaking out at Hilandari monastery on Mount Athos at midnight on
Wednesday was extinguished by firemen on Thursday and, according to initial
assessments, considerable damage has been caused to the monastery.

The fire brigade is preparing an account of the damage, while an overall
assessment of the situation is expected on Friday.