Jaj – Saint Abda Church

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.

Saint George Shrine, Sarba, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  مزار مار جرجس الباطية

City:  Jounieh Sarba

District:  Keserwan

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

مزار مار جرجس الباطية - صربا

في أسفل الشير الصخري عند شاطىء صربا توجد مغارة طبيعية تعرف بـ"الباطية" وهي تعني "إناء للماء"، إذ تتضمّن المغارة حوضًا صخريًّ تملأه مياه البحر المحاذي للموقع.
فوق المغارة كان يوجد في السابق معبد قديم مكرّس لعبادة البعل. لقد شيّد المسيحيّون في الموقع كنيسةً كبيرةً كانت قد فُرشت أرضيتها بفسيفساء جميلة لم يبق منها سوى بعض الأجزاء. ومن ثم استُبدلت هذه العادات والتقاليد برموز مسيحيّة، فتحوّل الموقع إلى مزار للقديس جرجس، وأصبح السكان المحليّون يقصدون الموقع ويقدمون النذور للقديس جرجس لشفاء الأطفال من الأمراض المستعصية والنساء من مشاكل العقم.

The Shrine of St George El Batyeh - Sarba

Under a huge limestone cliff on the coast of Sarba there is a natural cave known as el Batyeh (meaning the water vessel) because it retains water from the neighboring sea. Over the cave, the Phoenicians erected a temple for Baal, that early christians converted to a church with mosaic flooring. Some of the mosaics are still visible. After the paleochristian era, the local pilgrimage and vitive customs attributed to the site were converted. The shrine was dedicated to St George, with an emergence of votive pilgrimage piety surrounding the place.

Sayedat El Reaayeh - Church, Aaqoura, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة السيّدة الرعائيّة

City:  Aaqoura

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

كنيسة السيّدة الرعائيّة - العاقورة

بنيت الكنيسة الأولى على أنقاض هيكلٍ رومانيّ كرّس للزهرة، أواسط القرن الخامس عشر، وكانت كنيسةً كبيرة حَوَت مكتبة مخطوطات مهمّة. رُممّت الكنيسة وجُدّدت عدّة مرّات لكنّ الكنيسة القديمة هُدُمت أواسط القرن العشرين لتبنى الكنيسة الحاليّة الأكبر. تحوي الكنيسة على بيت قربان رخاميّ من أثر الكنيسة القديمة، كذلك العديد من اللوحات المحليّة العائدة للقرنين السابع والثامن عشر.

The Parish church of Our Lady - Aqoura

The church was built over a roman temple dedicated to Venus, in the mid XVth century. The church had a rich manuscript library. It was restored many times, yet the old church was destroyed in the mid XXth century to make space for the new bigger church. The church holds the marble tabernacle of the old one and a collection of locally made paintings dating back to the XVIIth and XVIIIth century.