Hammana – The church of the Holy Savior

House and the Church of St. God's grace (Neamtallah) Hardini Lebanese Maronite Order, Hardine, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  بيت وكنيسة القديس نعمة الله الحرديني

City:  Hardine

District:  Batroun

Governorate:  North

History: 

Hardine’s name is derived from the Syriac language meaning ‘pious’, Witness of justice, Ardent in faith and Square of religion.

It is located about 1100m. above sea level. A large area of very thick forests surrounds it and the following ruins of its inveterate past decorate its mountain terraces:

-The «rocky tile of Hardine» with its marine fossils and its unique length of 350 m along a slope to the west and its width of nearly l00m. Some one said, «The three most beautiful in Mount Lebanon are the valley of Kannoubine, The Palace of Beit Eddine and the tile of Hardine».

–The Temple of God Mercury With 30 majestic pillars built according to the rare ionic style. This temple known as «the roman Palace of Hardine». It’s a really fantastic one; it goes back to the time of Emperor Hadrian Augustus (117-137 A.D).

-“St Fawka’s” monastery (6th century)

-“Patriarchal monastery” since the Maronites came to Lebanon, known as “St. Sergios Alkarn”.

-“St John Alchakf” monastery, since the days of the Crusaders.

-“St Taqla” church in Beit Kassab square. It was the father of St Hardidni, who first started its renovation in the 19th Century.

-The church and hermitage of “St Stephan” in a hollow in a light rock over the Plain of Al Jawz River.

-The ruins of “St Richa’s” monastery, where the Syriac Diocese was moved between 1384 and 1598.

-The hermitages of “St Joseph”, “Ste Anne”, “St Ephram” the Syriac, “St Jacob Jesus’ brother” and “the pottery monastery” in the hollows of Kfarshira, and “the Lady of the Castle” in the hollow of the water spring.

-The Church of “St. Georges and Edna” which is distinguished Christian inscriptions (fish and cross).

-The churches of “St Elias”, “St Challita and Nohra” in the hollows engraved in the rocks, the old parish churches, like “St. Sergios and Bacchus” (rebui1t in 1932). “the Lady of deliverance” (rebuilt in 1948). The current one is St. Shayna” (1844), and finally the church of “St. Tadros” with its maronite alter, The two rebuilt churches of “St. Antonios of Padova” (1907), “St. Thomas” (1950) and the church of “Ste Theresa of the Baby Jesus” (1946).

-The monastery of St. Hardini» built with the donations of the people from Hardine in Lebanon and all over the world.

– Hardine is the hometown of one of Lebanon’s four saints, Saint Nimatullah Hardini (1808-58) who was canonised by Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II in 2004.

The village is naturally protected by the valleys and the rocky mountains around it making it an ideal place for the then new religion (Christianity) to flourish.

Legend has it that in 270AD, a Roman official imprisoned his daughter in Hardine for converting to Christianity. She converted many others in Hardine to the Christian faith.

Mar Gerges Blue Yanouh, Mghayra, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  دير مار جرجس الأزرق

City:  Yanouh Jbayl

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

دير مار جرجس الأزرق - يانوح

البناء أساسًا كان معبدًا فينيقيّ ثمّ رومانيّ. عُرف بالأزرق نسبةً للون الحجر الكلسيّ. مع قدوم المسيحيّة حُوّل المعبد إلى ديرٍ على اسم مار جرجس وكان الأكبر في جبّة المنيطرة. إختاره البطريرك يوحنّا مارون الثاني مقرًّا له سنة ٧٥٠، وذلك لصعوبة الوصول إليه، ولأن يانوح بحسب البطريرك الدويهيّ: "كانت من أشرف المجالِس في جِبَة المنيطرة وأهلها كثيرو العِبادة والغيرة". بقيت يانوح مقرًّا بطريركيًّا شبه ثابتٍ
ما بين ٧٥٠ و١٢٧٧، لأن البطاركة تنقلوا مابين سنتيّ ١١٢٠ و١٢٠٠ بين ميفوق وهابيل ولحفد. بنى البطاركة بقرب المعبد كنيسةً صغيرة خاصة للبطاركة وأقبية وغرف. وبنوا كنيسة السيّدة خارج المحلّة. أقام البطاركة في يانوح، ما مجموعه أربعماية واثنتان وثلاثون سنة، منها ثلاثمائة وسبعون سنةً متواصلةً دون إنقطاع. مع قدوم الصليبيّين في عهد البطريرك يوسف الجرجسيّ إستبشر الموارنة خيرًا بحسب ابن القلاعي، فأُعيد اتصالهم بروما، وعاشوا فترةً من الإزدهار، ويذكر التاريخ أنّه في تلك الحقبة إستبدل الموارنة نوافيس الخشب بنواقيس حديدٍ في يانوح. لكنّ الفترة الصليبيّة شهدت العديد من القلاقل والمعارك ممّا استدعى تنقلاتٍ عديدةٍ للبطاركة واتخاذهم عدّة مراكز. ومع رحيل الصليبييّن وحملة المماليك أُحرقت يانوح، ولم تُجرى أبحاث أركيواوجيّة على الموضع لحين الإنتداب الفرنسيّ بداية القرن العشرين.

The blue monastery of St George - Yanouh

The building was originally a Phoenician than a Roman temple consecutively. With the locals conversion to Christianity the temple was consecrated as a church dedicated to St George. In 750 Yanouh was chosen as a patriarchal seat, it remained a nearly consistent seat between 750 and 1277. The patriarchs built near the temple a patriarchal chapel, many vaults and cells and the church of the Virgin Mary outside of the complex. With the Crusades during the pontificate of Patriarch Youssef el Gergesy, the Maronites entered a golden age, they reconnected with Rome. Yet the latter Crusader’s period saw unrest and struggles, that was the reason why many patriarchs used to change residences. In 1277 the patriarchs moved out of Yanouh. The seat was completly abandoned after the Crusaders left and the Mamluk’s campaign that destroyed the village. The site was excavated by the french archeological missions in the early XXth century.

Church of Mary mother of god, Yanouh, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة أم الله السيّدة مريم

City:  Yanouh Jbayl

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

كنيسة أم الله السيّدة مريم - يانوح

بعد محاولته العودة إلى أنطاكيا ورجوعه الى جبل لبنان سنة ٧٥٠، سكن البطريرك الرابع يوحنّا مارون الثاني و من بعده خلفائه البطاركة دير مار جرجس الأزرق يانوح لخمسمئة سنة إلى سنة ١٢٧٧. يُعزى ذلك بحسب المؤرخين لثلاثة أسباب : كون يانوح منطقة جبليّة عاصية، قربها من معبر المنيطرة القريب الى البقاع، وتقوى أهل يانوح بحسب البطريرك الدويهيّ. في القرن الثامن بُنيت كنيسة أم الله في الصرح البطريركيّ لجهة الشمال، وجدّدت في أيّام الصليبيّين. سنة ١٢١٥ صدر أمر البابا اينوشنسيوس الثالث الى الأساقفة الموارنة بالخضوع للبطريرك في كرسيّ يانوح. ضمّت هذه الكنيسة مخطوط إنجيل رابولا. بعد القرون الوسطى خرب الدّير والكرسيّ. رمّمت الكنيسة بسعي البطريرك بشارة بطرس الراعي وأعيد تكريسها سنة ٢٠١٧. تضمّ العرش البطريركيّ القديم، وعلى زواياها نقشت الصلبان المثنية الأطراف.

The church of the Theotokos our Lady Mary - Yanouh

After his failed attempt to go back to Antioch the fourth Maronite patriarch John Maroun II move his seat to the monastery of St George the blue in Yanouh in 1750. The patriarchal seat remained there for 500 years until 1277. The main reasons that Yanouh was chosen was because of the mountainous nature of the region, the closeness to the pass of Mneitra and to the region of Bekaa, and the locals piety described by patriarch Douwaihy. In the VIIIth century the church of the Theotokos was built north of the patriarchal seat, and renewed during the crusades. In 1215 an edict by pope Innocent III ordered the maronite bishops to obey the patriarch in the sear of Our Lady of Yanouh. This church held the Codex Rabbula. After the middle ages the church fell into despair, it was renewed by order of Patriarch Bechara Boutros el Rai in 2017 and reconsecrated. The church holds the old patriarcal throne and has two egged crosses on the four sides of the structure.