Kfaraabida – The church of St Anthony of Padua

Saydet al dorr سيدة الدر, Bsharri, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة سيّدة الدرّ

City:  Bcharreh

District:  Bcharre

Governorate:  North

History: 

كنيسة سيّدة الدرّ - بشرّي
سيدة الدرّ أو الوريسة كان معبدًا فينيقيًّا تحوّل الى كنيسة في القرن الحادي عشر. بحسب الأب بطرس ضو "تحوّل هذا المعبد الى كنيسة، وكان يوجد فيه رسوم جدرانيّة من القرن الثاني عشر وتحتوي على أسماء القدّيسين باليونانيّة، مما يدلّ على أن الموارنة في وادي قاديشا كانوا حتى القرن الثالث عشر على اتصال بالحضارة البيزنطيّة". الكنيسة عبارة عن مغارة محفورة في الصخر ذات خوروسين، لعلّ جداريتها الأجمل هي الظهور الإلهيّ.

The church of Our Lady of the Milk - Bcharre

The church of Our Lady of the Milk or El Waryse is a Phoenician temple converted in the XIth century. According to the historian Fr. Boutros Daw: ”The shrine was converted into a fresco covered church in the XIIth century with the saints name written in greek, indicating that the Maronites in that era kept contact with the Byzantines”. The church consists of a man made cave with a double apse. The best kept fresco is that of the Epiphany over the altar.

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.

St. Doumit Monastery, Qoubaiyat, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  دير مار ضومط للآباء الكرمليّين

City:  Qbaiyat Aakkar

District:  Akkar

Governorate:  Akkar

History: 

دير مار ضومط للآباء الكرمليّين - القبيات

بذأت زسالة الآباء الكرمليّين في القبيّات أوائل القرن التاسع عشر. سنة ١٨٣٥، بدؤا بناء ديرهم، بعد ان أوقف لهم الارض جبّور سيف حبيش. كان في تلك الأرض آثار كنيسةِ لمار ضومط، والعديد من الآثار التي بيعت لبناء الكنيسة الجديدة. بّنيت الكنيسة بشكلها الحاليّ سنة ١٨٥٢، وجدّدت على الطراز النبو غوطي سنة ١٩١٤. لعب الدّير دورًا هامًا في تاريخ البلدة خصوصًا أنّه ضمّ مدرسةً لتعليم الأحداث.

The monastery of St Doumit of the Carmelite fathers - Kobayyat

The Carmelite mission in the region of Kobayyat began in the dawn of the XIXth century. In 1935 Jabbour Seif Hobeich donated a piece of land to build a monastery. In this land where a ruined church dedicated to St Doumit and lots of ancient artifacts that where sold to museums to build the monastery. In 1852 the current church was built, and it 1914 it was remodeled with a neo gothic style. The monastery played an important role in the community”s history specially on the educational level with the famous Carmelite school.