THESSALONIKI, Greece — Centuries-old monasteries have been broken by an ongoing collection of earthquakes in a secluded monastic group in northern Greece, authorities mentioned Friday.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck the Mount Athos peninsula on June 7, adopted by a collection of each undersea and land-based tremors that continued via Friday.
The quakes triggered “extreme cracks” within the dome of the Monastery of Xenophon, which was constructed within the late tenth century, and broken non secular frescoes at that website and a number of other others, the Tradition Ministry mentioned.
Mount Athos is among the most vital non secular websites for Orthodox Christians, and is sometimes called the Holy Mountain. It’s a semi-autonomous monastic republic and is house to twenty Orthodox monasteries.
The self-governing group nonetheless observes strict traditions underneath Greek sovereignty, together with a ban on all girls coming into the territory.
“We’re absolutely conscious of the immense archaeological, historic, and religious significance of Mount Athos, and we’re making certain that each one injury is addressed in line with scientific and moral requirements,” Tradition Minister Lina Mendoni mentioned.
The restoration work — together with structural reinforcement and the restore of art work — will probably be expanded and accelerated, Mendoni added.
A extra detailed evaluation of the injury is predicted subsequent week, the Tradition Ministry mentioned.