The blaze at The Holy Annunciation of Our Lady on Victoria Parade in East Melbourne started about 1.40pm and was quickly brought under control.

The fire was mainly contained to the church's roof, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said.

Fire investigators and an arson chemist were expected to attend the scene on Tuesday.

Victoria Police's spokesman Senior Constable Alistair Parsons said the fire had "not been deemed suspicious".

MFB spokesman Phil Buckley said investigations would continue.

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

The fire in Melbourne East came just 24 hours after hundreds had gathered at the 115-year-old church for Greek Easter celebrations on Sunday.

A passerby was the first to report the fire after seeing smoke pouring from the church windows and roof.

No one was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. About 200 people were evacuated from nearby buildings.

The damage bill is yet to be determined but the quick efforts of firefighters is believed to have saved much of the building's exterior.

On Monday, the Very Reverend Father Kosmas Damianides said he believed icons on the ceilings and walls would have suffered smoke damage.

"That's going to cost a lot of money," he said. "That's a great loss for us. The church is 115 years old, so there were a lot of icons that were very old in there."

Greek elders have thanked firefighters and the community for their support following the fire.

"They say it is very fortunate that there were no injuries and everyone evacuated safely," a statement posted to the MFB Facebook page said.

The church will remain closed until further notice, according to the Greek Orthodox community website.