[MSN] Greece. Fire damages Koutloumousiou Monastery on Mt. Athos

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Fire damages Koutloumousiou Monastery on Mt. Athos

    A fire that broke out late Tuesday night in a 60 sq.m. section of the
Koutloumousiou Monastery in the Mt. Athos all-male monastic community was
contained by Wednesday morning after all-night efforts by a strong team of
firefighters from Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki, aided by 10 fire engines, but
caused damages estimated at 50,000 euros.

    The fire, which broke out at 10:00 p.m. for reasons as yet unknown,
caused about 50,000 euros in damages, according to estimates by the
Thessaloniki Fire Department, and thanks to the efforts of the firefighters
the fire was contained before spreading to other building facilities where
invaluable sacred relics are housed.

    According to firefighters, the fire broke out in an area of the
monastery's top floor, buring a section of the roof, furniture and other
objects. The Fire Brigade division stationed at Athos rushed to the
monastery with 3 fire engines, and were later joined by reinforcements from
Polygyros -- the second leg of the Chalkidiki peninsula (Athos comprises the
third leg), and from Thessaloniki, which managed to put out the blaze by
Wednesday morning. They said the section of roof that burned in the fire was
not more than 60 square meters.

    The Koutloumousiou monastery, which is sixth in hierarchical rank among
the Athos community's 20 monasteries, is situated on the northeastern side
of Athos, near Karyes. It is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the
Saviour.

    While the existence of the coenobitic monastery is confirmed by a
document from back to 1169, Koutloumousiou in its present form was founded
in the 14th century. Koutloumousiou is considered to be one of the most
magnificent of all the monasteries of Mt. Athos.

    It's central church was built in 1540, but there are many chapels
associated with the monastery -- seven within its confines and another seven
outside its walls. The most impressive of these is the chapel of the Mighty
Protection of the Mother of God, built in 1733, which is at the left of the
eso-narthex of the central church and contains a miraculous icon of the
Mother of God holding Christ as a child. Other chapels include St. Natalia,
Saints Kosmas and Damianos, All Saints, St. John the Baptist, the
Archangels, and St. Spyridon.

    Koutloumousiou's renowned library contains 662 manuscript codices, of
which 100 are on parchment, old documents, and more than 3,500 printed
books. The monastery also has approximately 150 moveable icons, while it
also has in its safekeeping many relics of saints, icons, vestments,
ecclesiastic artefacts, crosses and other objects.

    In the early 14th century, Koutloumousiou was the target of raids and
looting by the Catalans, while in 1497 it suffered extensive damage in the
great fire of 1497. In 1767 another fire ravaged the monastery, destroying
its east wing, but the damage was restored with the assistance of then
Patriarch Matthaios III of Alexandria. Two more fires again seriously
damaged the monastery's buildings in the 10th century (1859 and 1870), with
repairs carried out under Abbot Meletios.

    The most recent fire -- before Tuesday's -- occurred in 1980, again
damaging the east wing, the repair of which was completed in 1998.

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