Ain Kfaa – Saint Rouhana

Baskinta, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة مار جرجس

Year built:  1763

City:  Baskinta

District:  Metn

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

كنيسة مار جرجس - بسكنتا

بنيت الكنيسة الحاليّة سنة ١٧٦٣ على أنقاض برجٍ صليبيّ. تتألف الكنيسة من صحنٍ كبير ينتهي بالحنية والمذبح، وعلى جهة الجنوب صحن آخر أعلى من مستوى الكنيسة ينتهي بمذبح مكرّس للقدّيسة تقلا. تحوي الكنيسة أيقونة مارونيّة للسيّدة تعود للقرن السابع عشر، أمّا لوحة مار جرجس فهي غربيّة الصنع.

The church of St George - Baskinta

The current church was built in 1763, over an old crusader’s tower. The church consists of a great nave ending with the apse and the altar. A smaller nave on the southern side is higher than the church ending with a small altar dedicated to St Thecla. The church holds a XVIIth century Maronite icon of the Madona, and a European painting of St George.

Kfar Jarra Municipality, Saida - Jezzine Road, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة مار يوحنا المعمدان - كفرجرّة

Year built:  1755

City:  Kfar Jarra

District:  Jezzine

Governorate:  South

History: 

بُنيت الكنيسة سنة ١٧٥٥ في عهد البطريرك يعقوب عوّاد وكرّسها المطران سمعان عوّاد اسقف صيدا. هي اولى الكنائس المارونيّة التي بنيت في منطقة شرقيّ صيدا وساحل جزّين. تتميّز بهندستها البسيطة وبالنقوش على أعتاب أبوابها المنخفضة. خُرّبت إبّان الحرب الأهليّة وأعيد ترميمها في تسعينات القرن العشرين.

The church was built in 1755 during the pontificate of Patriarch Jacob Awad and was consecrated by Sidon’s bishop Simon Awad. It is the first maronite church in the vicinity of Sidon. The architecture is simple and doted with symbolic arabesque over the small narrow doors. During the civil war it was heavily damaged and restored during the nineties. 

Hermel, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  دير مار مارون على نهر العاصي

City:  Hermel

District:  Hermel

Governorate:  Baalbek-Hermel

History: 

The monastery of St Maroun on the Orontes - Hermel

The monastery was originally a natural cave consisting of three sections, it was expanded by Roman builders working in nearby stone quarries. It is situated above Ain El Zarqa, one of the sources of the Orontes River, and connected to the river via a corridor carved into the mountainside. This was used to fetch water and provide a hiding place during enemy attacks. In the VIth century, Maronite monks sought refuge in the cave after facing persecution in northern Syria, where their monastery was destroyed and its contents dispersed. The monks expanded the cave and carved an altar, turning the cave into a new monastery. This marked the beginning of the Maronite migration to the mountains of Lebanon along the Orontes River. Over time, the monastery was neglected and became an abandoned farm. In 2011, it was visited by Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi and has since been restored in 2018, returning to the Maronite Church. The monastery serves as a testament to the spread and perseverance of the Maronite Church in the Levant.