This morning at 6:30 AM a fire broke out within the Church of St. John the Forerunner on Gounari Road in Argos. It has been determined that the fire ignited from an air heater.
22 firefighters with 9 trucks were on the scene, even as far as Nafplion.
Much of the interior church has been consumed and the wooden roof has collapsed. The damage is irreversible and it is at risk of complete collapse.
The church is Byzantine and one of its precious relics, a deacon's outfit given by Catherine the Great of Russia, is also destroyed. It was built with the funds of the first ruler of Greece, John Kapodistrias, and it was the first Metropolitan church of Argos.
Metropolitan Iakovos of Argos says the church will be rebuilt.
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