Reputed Site of Mary’s Tomb Is Hit by Flood
A chapel at the foot of Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives was flooded Monday by a surge of water that filled the underground structure, damaging precious Christian icons and forcing monks and nuns to flee.
Israeli firemen rescued five monks and a nun from 50-foot-deep rain and sewage runoff that filled the chapel, which according to Christian tradition is the burial place of the Virgin Mary.
The Byzantine chapel, which is shared by the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations, stands next to Gethsemane garden, where Christians believe Jesus spent his last night in an olive grove before being arrested by the Romans and crucified.
“There are a lot of precious icons inside. Here we have the famous icon of the Virgin of Jerusalem. It’s down there and it’s covered with mud,” Father Barnavas Kalikazaros said.
“It’s a sad day for the Christians who know how holy this site is,” he said.
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