Mt. Athos, March 21, 2018
Photo: afonit.info Serbian state corporation “Србијагас” (SerbiaGas) has announced that it will be donating more than $20,000 to Hilandar Monastery, the Serbian monastery on Mt. Athos that suffered a severe fire in 2004, reports Russian Athos.
After signing an agreement, Genereal Director of Србијагас Dusan Bajatovic and Director of the Hilandar Monastery Foundation Milovic Rancic announced that 2 million Serbian dinars ($20,740) would be donated, and that the company intends to donate more in the future, to help the monastery in its continuing efforts to rebuild after the devastating fire.
Photo: afonit.info The signing of the agreement took place at Hilandar Monastery itself, in the presence of the abbot, Archimandrite Methodius.
Bajatovic stated that this is not intended to be a one-time assistance, but that Србијагас will continue to provide active support in the reconstruction of the monastery’s damaged buildings.
The 2004 fire destroyed half of the monastery complex. Three buildings housing the brotherhood were completely destroyed (one from 1640, and the other two from the late 19th century), as well as the entrance gates and a chapel built in 1598. By the grace of God, there were no human casualties.
The restoration of the monastery began in 2006, when the burnt objects were cleared out, and the necessary technical documents were prepared. More than half of the damaged objects have been restored already, thanks in part to active assistance from the Serbian government.
You can see the extent of the fire and the damage caused in the videos below:
