Gracing Manhattan’s historic Chelsea District, the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava is a splendid example of Gothic Revival architecture.
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It took firefighters three hours to put out the flames which gutted the building and destroyed the church’s roof.
His stepfather is the church caretaker who went into the burning sanctuary to try to douse the flames, but it was already too late and the blaze had rapidly spread.
The article said they are anxious that the fire was started intentionally “in retaliation for the religion’s role in blocking the canonization of Croatian Nazi supporter (Catholic) Cardinal Aloysius (Alojzije) Stepinac”.
A building caretaker was injured from smoke inhalation, and four firefighters also suffered minor injuries, according to NBC4. The church website listed services that morning and an Easter luncheon at 1 p.m.
The church’s priest, Father Djokan Majstorovic, tried to reach the scene but was blocked by the firefighters.
Tim Teeman, senior editor of the Daily Beast, happened to be walking home at the time and came across the scene as fire trucks arrived.
“I feel like I’m in a nightmare right now”, he told reporters.
This is the moment a huge blaze rips through a 150-year-old church in the middle of Manhattan, New York. Johnson is calling for a full investigation into the cause of the fire.
In a statement online, the cathedral said: “Our church has burned down last night”.
It was previously known as the Trinity Church, serving the Episcopal Diocese in NY, before it was purchased in 1943 by the Serbian Orthodox church.
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In 1968, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and given landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
