Filenews 23 September 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
The famous Monastery of Agios Neophytos in Tala, Paphos, was put in immediate danger at dawn today by a fire that broke out for still unknown reasons. The fact that the fire broke out in an inaccessible and wooded area between the Monastery and the community of Koili and at a time when no activity was taking place, is considered preliminarily by the authorities as an indication of a malicious act.
The fire was noticed in an inaccessible area between Koili and Tala at 4.00 in the morning. Very soon it spread to the whole mountain above the famous monastery, while the Fire Brigade and the Department of Forests were immediately mobilized with all their available forces in order to avoid the worst since the fire began to head towards the Monastery of Agios Neophytos.
With the first light of day, the operations of the ground forces were assisted from the air by the two firefighting helicopters, so that the fire managed to be brought under control before entering the monastery area and after getting very close to the enclosure of Agios Neophytos. Officials also pointed out that an important role in the timely prevention of the disaster was played by the fire protection works carried out around the monastery over the last two years by the Community Council of Tala.
The Abbot of the Monastery, Bishop Leontios of Hytra, reported that the first to notice the fire was the accountant of the monastery, Lucas Heracleous, who rushed to the monastery at dawn. The monastery was evacuated as a precaution by the monks, while the monks were also on hand to remove the rare relics and other ecclesiastical treasures kept there.
With the extinguishing of the fire, investigations began to ascertain the circumstances that led to this dangerous event, while the Police received and are already examining CCTV footage available in the area of the Community Council of Koili, as well as the luxurious settlement Leptos Kamares Village that is next to the area of the monastery of Agios Neophytos.
