Fire breaks out in Jerusalem’s Valley of the Cross

Lazar Berman | 03 July 2013

July 2, 2013

The Monastery of the Cross is located in the Valley of the Cross in Jerusalem. (photo credit: Michal Fattal/Flash90)

The Monastery of the Cross is located in the Valley of the Cross in Jerusalem. (photo credit: Michal Fattal/Flash90)

A fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in Jerusalem’s Valley of the Cross, home to an 11th-century Greek Orthodox monastery.

It took an hour to get the fire under control, but not before it reached the walls of the monastery and the edge of Hayim Hazaz Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the capital.

Nine fire crews were on the scene, Jerusalem Fire Department spokesman Captain Asaf Abras told The Times of Israel. The monastery was evacuated as a precaution and nearby streets were blocked off.

Twenty five dunams of vegetation were burned, and there was minor external damage to the monastery walls. The Israel Museum, which overlooks the valley, was never in danger.

The fire department is looking into the possibility of arson, according to Abras.

In December 2012, in an act apparently perpetrated by Jewish extremists, Hebrew graffiti was sprayed on a wall of the Monastery of the Cross and three cars in the parking lot had their tires slashed.

It was the second time in a year that the monastery had been targeted by “price tag” activists. The graffiti was cleaned up by Jerusalem municipality workers.

According to tradition, the tree from which the True Cross was made, on which Jesus was crucified, grew in the valley.

Source: The Times of Israel

Since you are here…

…we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong.

Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable.

For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir.

If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life's purpose, family and society.