Biblical floods on Mount Athos: The greatest Serbian holy place Hilandar is suffocating in rivers of blood and water
Heavy rainfall that struck Greece didn't go around one of the greatest Serbian holy places - Hilandar.
Just when the Serbian monastery in Mount Athos started recovering from the great fires that destroyed half of the complex in 2004 and in 2016, the new troubles arrived.
The fierce storm, followed by heavy rain struck many summer resorts, and it didn't spare the Mount Athos, the far east of the three peninsulas on Chalkidiki,
Holy Imperial Serbian monastery Hilandar and one of the most significant spiritual and cultural centers of the Serbian people is in danger due to the rain that has been falling for more than 24 hours.
The monastery is located on 2.5 km from the sea and if you look at it from the outside, it looks like a medieval fortress, considering that it is surrounded by 30 meters tall ramparts.
Heavy rains destroyed the access to the Hilandar which is now surrounded by water torrents. Outer walls are 140 meters long. The monastery is fortified consider that it had to defend from pirates in the past, just like other monastery settlements on Mount Athos.
The water reaching biblical proportions threatens to jeopardize the foundations of the monastery itself, and numerous monastery gardens are flooded, destroying everything that the monks grew.
Floods damaged the parts of the bridge, the sights of brown rivers flowing around the monastery are upsetting everybody, and the monastery is choking in mud in the parts where there are no rivers of water.
It can be seen in the photos of Hieromonk Dositej of Hilandar that the cascades of water are falling from the walls of Hilandar. The amount of damage is yet to be determined.
Hilandar is one of the most important centers of Serbian culture and spirituality. The richest collection of original ancient manuscripts, icons, frescoes has been preserved in Hilandar and it presents the most significant treasury of Serbian medieval culture in general.
(Telegraf.co.uk / G. Avalic)
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