In times of darkness, we seek out hope and in the case of St Dimitrios’ Greek Orthodox Church in Beirut, that glimmer of hope showed itself through the survival of the alter.
St Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church is located in Achrafieh, one of the oldest districts of Beirut and sit less that a kilometre away from where the explosion took place on on 4 August.
Father Youil Nassif has left the church a mere 12 minutes before the explosion that took place with his children, before returning on his own to find the church in tatters.
“When I entered the altar I was surprised. The Alter was untouched,” he told BBC World Service.
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The security footage during the blast shows the alter unscathed, with the religious relics staying firmly in place and perhaps even more impressive was the oil lamp that remained lit.
“In times of crisis we search for signs, we search for light in the darkness. I felt as if it is a sign,” Fr Nassif said.
To date more than 200 people are now believed to have been killed, over 100 missing along with over 6,000 injured.
"I felt it was a message from God."
Much of this Greek Orthodox church in Beirut was completely ruined in the explosion – but the sacred altar space remained almost unscathed. pic.twitter.com/ezbi4zX9Mm
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) August 8, 2020
