An autopsy was carried out in the monastery complex of St. Luke of Boiotia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by Lina Mendoni, head of the service level of the Ministry of Culture, in order – as the relevant information of the Ministry of Culture informs – to be informed about the studies and projects that are in progress, after the fire of August 25, which caused limited damage to the ruined cell of Joasaph, from the 19th century, which is part of the southeast wing of the Monastery.

They welcomed the Minister of Culture the Metropolitan of Thebes, Levadeia and Avlis Georgios, the Member of Parliament of Boeotia Lefteris Ktistakis, the regional governor of Central Greece Fanis Spanos, the deputy regional governor of Boeotia Fani Papathoma and the mayor of Distomo-Arachova-Antikyras Yiannis Stathas. NTUA professors, Charalambos Mouzakis and Eleftheria Tsakanikas, as well as their partner architect Timos Kouimtzoglou, who have undertaken, by order of the Monastery, for several months now, the preparation of the studies for the restoration of the southeast wing.

In the discussion with the representatives of the local bodies, Lina Mendoni emphasized that “it is necessary, as quickly as possible, to mature all the studies, so that we can proceed with the restoration of the southeast wing in total, regardless of the damage caused by the fire of August 25″, adding that its restoration “can be financed from the programming period 2021-2027 and the Regional Operational Program of Central Greece – given the agreement of the regional governor F. Spanou – in order to accommodate the important Library of the Monastery in this particular space”.

The Minister of Culture and the echelon of YPPO executives conducted a thorough autopsy in the individual areas of the southeast wing, from which debris and remains of the fire are removed. The researchers, on site, presented the proposed interventions for the restoration of the wing and discussed the immediate rescue measures that must be taken by the competent services of the Ministry of Health. Also, it was deemed necessary to carry out excavations by the competent Ephorate of Antiquities in order to update and complete the restoration studies of the wing. It was decided to take immediate measures and to draw up – by the Directorate for the Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments of the YPPO – a special study for the creeping of the soils in the immediate surroundings of the monastery, due to the fire and the intense rainfall that followed.

The Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia presented, with its external partners, the studies being prepared for fire protection and fire extinguishing, lightning protection and for the accessibility of the monastery complex for the disabled. Afterwards, Lina Mendoni presided over an extended meeting, in which Metropolitan George and his colleagues participated, the director of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities Ioulia Papageorgiou, the director of Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments Themistocles Vlahoulis, the head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia Alexandra Chara don’t, the responsible scholars and other relevant officials of the Ministry of the Interior.

“In the extended meeting,” said the minister, “we discussed extensively all aspects of the restoration of the Monastery and its armoring and we set specific timelines for completing studies from natural hazards, extreme weather events. We gave particular importance to the acceleration and completion of the rescue measures of the complex, with the main one being the stabilization of the slopes of the surrounding area of ​​the Monastery. We also discussed the maturation of the geophysical and geotechnical study, by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia, as well as the installation of a roof, as well as the taking of measures to support the walls of Joasaph’s two-story cell, so that it is not further burdened by weather conditions. I consider it absolutely necessary the good cooperation of the services of the YPPO, the researchers, the region, the municipality and of course the Holy Metropolis and the monastic community in order to proceed with the restoration of the monument within the timetables we have already agreed on”.