Orthodox church burns in Melbourne

Australia's second oldest Greek Orthodox church has been saved after a fire broke out in Melbourne, a day after Orthodox Easter celebrations.

The cause of the fire at the 115-year-old Holy Church of Annunciation of Our Lady in East Melbourne on Monday afternoon is still under investigation.

No one was inside at the time of the fire at 1.30pm, which was mainly contained to the roof.

Dejected church priest Kosmas Damianides said a historic icon of Mary that had been at the church since soon after its establishment in 1900 was probably destroyed.

"It's a shock. I can't believe it," Very Rev Fr Kosmas told AAP on Monday.

MFB assistant chief fire officer Martin Braid said it was fortunate the Eastern Hill MFB station was only a few hundred metres away.

He said the extent of the damage will be better known once the municipal building surveyor inspects the building.

Annunciation of Our Lady is the second Orthodox church in Australia affected by fire after the Macedonian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection in Sydney's south was gutted on Sunday night, hours after Easter celebrations.

A historic Serbian Orthodox Church in New York was also gutted by fire on Monday morning Australian time.