The altar of the Orthodox church remained intact after the explosion in Beirut

Although the Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius in the Christian region of Beirut, Ashrafiyah, was severely damaged by a monstrous explosion in the Lebanese capital, its altar, by the grace of the Lord God, was practically not damaged.

According to the news portal Blagovest-info, on August 4, the rector of the St. Demetrius Church in Beirut, Father Yuil Nassif, was taking the children home when he heard the sound of a powerful explosion. Leaving the children at home, the priest returned to the temple, located about a kilometer from the capital's port, and saw a depressing picture. Everywhere inside the house of prayer were scattered holy icons and benches, the floor was covered with broken glass. However, everything in the altar remained untouched: despite the cloud of dust, “the Holy Chalice, the Gospel, the lamp did not budge ... the relics of the saints, even the glass did not break,” the priest says.
On footage from a video surveillance camera, it is clearly visible how the blast wave sweeps away everything in its path - however, the light in the lamp, which stands in the altar, continues to burn. “Call me naive, but I think it's incredible. I felt that this is a message from God who says: 'I will be with you.' In times of crisis, we looking for signs, looking for light in the dark. I felt it was a sign. We need prayers, not only our church, every citizen of Lebanon, we are all in a very difficult situation, please pray for us! ”Father Yuil asks the believers.