On April 17, a fire completely destroyed the Orthodox Church of Seraphim of Sarov in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. At the time of the fire, three people were inside the building, who managed to leave before the firefighters arrived. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The church housed a collection of icons and embroideries by Saint Maria Skobtsova, which constituted her museum, the only one in France. Most of these unique works created by Mother Maria were destroyed, except for the Lord's shroud, the heavily damaged Virgin Mary's vestment, and an angel with a censer.

The fire occurred on the eve of Holy Week. Mother Maria died in the gas chamber of the Ravensbrück camp in 1945, also during Holy Week. Since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, Mother Maria's Center has been actively providing assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

Maria Skobtsova was a Russian poetess and public figure who became a nun of the Western European Exarchate of the Russian tradition of the Patriarchate of Constantinople after emigrating to Paris. She participated in the Resistance movement against the Nazis and saved Jews from deportation to death camps. The Yad Vashem Museum recognized her as a Righteous Among the Nations.