160-year-old Manhattan (NYC) Cathedral engulfed in flames
Midtown Manhattan cathedral engulfed in flames: 'Irreplaceable' 160-year-old Orthodox Christian church is consumed by fire
Flames have engulfed the 160-year-old Serbian Cathedral of Saint Sava in Manhattan's central Flatiron district
Easter services were taking place at the Orthodox Christian church today, including a lunch at 1pm
Fortunately, nobody was believed to have been inside the building when the blaze broke out, the FDNY said
It is not known how the fire started or the extent of the damage, but the building appears to have been gutted
The church, built in 1855, was declared a landmark in 1968 and branded 'irreplaceable' by New York officials
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A 160-year-old Orthodox Christian cathedral in New York has been completely destroyed after a huge fire tore through it on Sunday
The blaze broke out at the Serbian Cathedral of Saint Sava on 25th Street in Manhattan's Flatiron district at around 7pm.
It is not known how the fire started, though it is believed to have broken out on the first floor of the building before consuming the interior and roof.
An FDNY spokesman said that nobody was believed to be inside the building at the time the fire started, and there have been no reports of injuries.
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The Serbian Cathedral of Saint Sava was designed in 1850 by architect Richard M. Upjohn, the founder of the American Institute of Architects, and first consecrated in 1855 by the Episcopal Diocese.
The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1968 and at the time the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission said the church's 'striking appearance commands special attention.
It added that 'its special character, historic significance, and aesthetic interest and value of the development, heritage, and cultural characteristics of New York make it irreplaceable.'
In 1865 the church played host to the first Orthodox liturgy was held in an Episcopal church in the U.S., an event described at the time as the 'inauguration of the Russian-Greek Church in America.'
American writer Edith Wharton married socialite Edward Wharton in the chapel in 1885, and later immortalized the church in her famous novel, The Age of Innocence.
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