Reminding of the fire in Chilandar monastery - March 4, 2004
On March 4, 2004 one hour after midnight Chilandar Monastery on the Mount Athos was caught by a catastrophic fire. There were no casualties, and the firefighters, monks and workers in the monastery managed to keep the fire under control. The fire, which spread by the rooftop, completely destroyed a part of the monastery complex from the heugomen's cell, through the hospitality rooms all the way to the Tower of Saint Sava. The Church of King Milutin, the treasury, archives and monastery library remained out of the reach of the fire.
Five fire engines from Kareia, the administrative center of Mount Athos and Poligyros, a town on the Chalkidiki Peninsula, joined in extinguishing and containing the fire.Firefighters quickly localized the fire, but the fire was smoldering for a long time in the large Serbian shrine.
The northwest part of the monastery residence, erected in 1821, and recently completely renovated, was burned. The administrative center of the monastery, the hospitality room and guest rooms were located in this section. The northeastern, White Residence, erected in 1598, which was under general restoration, was also destroyed in the fire.
Source: the SOC - 2004, updated
