A man deliberately ignited a blaze inside one of Serbia’s oldest Christian monasteries, causing significant damage to the walls, icons and frescoes. Witnesses acted quickly to extinguish the fire, and the man was apprehended.
A man from Vladičin Han set fire to the iconostasis and a liturgical book inside the Monastery of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Mrtvica, located in the Grdelica Gorge. The incident occurred at noon on October 11, when he entered the sanctuary carrying gasoline and hepo cubes, ignited the fire, and caused damage to several icons and frescoes before individuals present interevened and extinguished the flames.
Police arrested the suspect and charged him with causing general danger. Authorities confirmed that he had previously vandalized another church in the municipality by scratching icons with a sharp object. The motive for the attack was not disclosed.