THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) -- A fire damaged the bell-tower of an Orthodox Christian church at the all-male monastic enclave of Mount Athos Saturday, but officials said the blaze was extinguished before it could spread.
The fire broke out just before midnight Friday at the Protatou Church and it took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish it.
The building, which dates to the 15th century, serves as the central church for the 20 Orthodox monasteries on the peninsula, about 60 miles southeast of the northern port city of Thessaloniki.
The cause of the fire was not known, but officials said it may have been started by candles.
On March 4, another fire seriously damaged the Helandariou monastery, which is run by 25 Serbian monks. That fire destroyed most of the monastery's northeast wing _ its library, dining room, reception area, entrance and storage rooms. The blaze also destroyed two small churches.
