Guardian (UK): Authorities in Melbourne and Sydney investigating Orthodox church fires
Australia’s second oldest Greek Orthodox church has been saved, but a Macedonian Orthodox church was gutted
Authorities in Melbourne and Sydney are investigating fires in two Orthodox churches.
Australia’s second oldest Greek Orthodox church has been saved after a fire broke out in Melbourne, a day after Orthodox Easter celebrations. The cause of the fire at the 115-year-old Holy Church of Annunciation of Our Lady in East Melbourne on Monday afternoon is still under investigation.
No one was inside at the time of the fire at 1.30pm, which was mainly contained to the roof.
Dejected church priest Kosmas Damianides said a historic icon of Mary that had been at the church since soon after its establishment in 1900 was probably destroyed.
“It’s a shock. I can’t believe it,” Damianides said on Monday.
Assistant chief fire officer Martin Braid said it was fortunate the Eastern Hill fire station was only a few hundred metres away.
He said the extent of the damage will be better known once the municipal building surveyor inspects the premises.
Annunciation of Our Lady is the second Orthodox church in Australia affected by fire after the Macedonian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection in Sydney’s south was gutted on Sunday night, hours after Easter celebrations.
The Rockdale church, parts of which have been standing since the 1890s, was engulfed in flames around 10pm on Sunday, less than 12 hours after the end of the Easter service.
Church treasurer Steve Kostovski says there were irreplaceable icons from around Europe inside and the church did not have contents insurance.
“It is heartbreaking,” an emotional Kostovski said as investigators took pictures of the rubble from a cherry-picker on Monday.
“The name of the church was resurrection of the Christ. It makes it even more sad because yesterday was the resurrection of Christ.”
Also see:
- On Orthodox Easter of all days! Serbian Orthodox cathedral burns in Manhattan
- RT: Fire rages at Russia’s revered Valaam monastery (VIDEO)
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Coincidence?
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Madeleine Albright will be happy. Specially if they are Serbian churches.