Virgin Mary painting is only item unscathed after fire burns down house

Firefighters in Serbia were stunned to find a completely untouched Virgin Mary painting in the rubble of a burned-down family home.

The religious figure was recovered after a fire in the town of Senta, northern Serbia, which burned almost everything.

But the Virgin Mary icon, a Christian symbol of faith and hope for the homeowners, was found unharmed among the charred remains.

Firefighter Nenad Matijasevic recovered the painting of the Holy Mother while extinguishing the blaze.

Serbia’s Interior Ministry hailed the discovery as a ‘miracle’, adding: ‘In moments when they fight the fire, firefighters save memories, and restore faith and those things that mean the most to people.

‘This is not just a miracle, this is a calling, this is humanity, and this is the reality of firefighters.’

Other instances of apparent divine intervention during fires have been recorded.

Last year, residents of a small town in Guatemala found almost all the books in a local shop charred, except for Bibles.

A firefighter from the force in Chiquimula, Guatemala, said: ‘I was with a volunteer colleague from Estanzuela, and he says to me, “The word of God is incredible because the Bibles are intact.”‘

He added: ‘Seriously. The Bibles are intact, and it’s something that we really can’t put into words.’

Another alleged miracle involving a Bible was revealed years ago, as a soldier claimed a bullet-ridden Bible saved his life during World War I.

Private Leslie Friston, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, was blinded and left with respiratory problems following a gas attack in 1917.

But it could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for a Bible he kept at this bed side.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.