Damaged monasteries on Mount Athos

At least three old monasteries of several centuries in the religious enclave Mount Athos, in northern Greece, were damaged following an earthquake that occurred last weekend, the Greek Ministry of Culture, quoted by AFP, announced on Wednesday.

That submarine earthquake with magnitude 5.3, produced on Saturday in the north of the Halkidiki peninsula, caused damage to Xenofont and Dochiaru monasteries, both dating from the tenth century, as well as the Simonos Petra monastery, dating from the fourteenth century.

Large cracks were observed in the couples of the churches of the Xenofont Monastery, as well as additional damages at the level of the frescoes that have already been fragile by an earthquake in February, the same ministry said.

Similar damages were related to the Dochiaru Monastery and more limited damages to the Simonos Petra monastery.

A team of Greek archaeologists and restorers will remain on the spot to continue inspecting the damage, said the Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, in a press release.

The earthquake of June 7, whose epicenter was located at large, at a depth of 12.5 kilometers, hit an area northwest by Karyes, the administrative center of the monastic community on Mount Athos, the Institute of Geodynamics said on its website.

The monastic community on Mount Athos, located in the Greek region of Macedonia, comprises 20 inhabited monasteries, dating back to several centuries. This community enjoys a certain degree of autonomy from the Byzantine era.