Kfar Aaqab – Our Lady of Dormition

Monastery of Saint John Marcus Jbeil Lebanese Maronite Order, Byblos, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  مار يوحنا مرقس - جبيل

Year built:  1115

City:  Jbayl

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

A beautiful Romanesque church, Eglise Saint Jean Marc is the cathedral church of Jbail-Byblos. The Church is dedicated to Saint Jean Mark, the patron saint of the town, who is said to have founded the first Christian community of Byblos. The church itself was built in 1115 A.D by the Crusaders, originally as the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. After their departure, earthquakes, invasions and other disasters have repeatedly damaged the structure, and for a few centuries it remained disused. In 1764, Emir Youssef Chehab, of the Druze dynasty that ruled a semi- autonomous Lebanon under the Ottomans, donated the church to L’Ordre Libanais Maronite (Lebanese Maronite Order) which subsequently restored and reopened in 1776 after re-dedicating it to St Jean Marc. British bombardments of Lebanon in 1840 caused further damage, but the church was restored yet again. Eglise Saint Jean Marc continues to serve the Maronite Christian community. One interesting feature in the church is its open- air domed baptistery on the northern side which dates from the original construction in 1115 A.D, The church is situated on Rue de Port, between the port and the archaeological area.

Sehayleh, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  دير سيّدة المعونات رام بو دقن

City:  Shayleh Kesrouane

District:  Keserwan

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

دير سيّدة المعونات رام بو دقن - سهيلة

سنة ١٧٦٧ بنى المطران مخايل بن الشيخ ابا نادر الخازن ديرًا على اسم سيّدة المعونات في محلّة رام بو دقن، ليصبح مقرًّا لإقامته. بعد وفاته تحوّل الدّير إلى وقفيّة ذريّة لمشايخ آل الخازن. الكنيسة كناية عن عقدٍ مُصالبٍ ينتهي بحنية نصف دائريّة، سقفها مزيّن بالنقوش على الجصّ. لوحات الكنيسة من عمل الخوري موسى ديب الدلبتاوي.

The monastery of Our Lady of Perpetual help Ram Bou Daqn - Sheile

The monastery was built in 1767 by bishop Michael son of Sheikh Aba Nader el Khazen, in Ram Bou Daqn to become his episcopal residence. After his death the monastery became a private domain for the Khazen family. The church consists of a crossed vault ending in a semi circular apse with a ceiling covered with arabesque. The church holds paintings by Fr Moussa Dib from Dlebta.

كنيسة مار يوسف - القبع, Qabaa, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة مار يوسف

City:  Qabaa Jezzine

District:  Jezzine

Governorate:  South

History: 

كنيسة مار يوسف - القبع جزّين

بنيت الكنيسة سنة ١٩٠٠ بسعي عائلة غانم الذين جعلوا مدافنهم بقربها. جدّدت في ١٩ آذار سنة ١٩٦٣. الكنيسة صغيرة، تتبع رعيّة بلدة قيتولة جزّين، تضم لوحةً غربيّة الصنع لمار يوسف، وتتميّز بالنقوش والزخرفة على الجصّ.

The church of St Joseph - Eh Qobeh Jezzine

The church was built in 1900 by the Ghanem family who built their cemetery near it. It was renewed on the 19th of march 1963. The church is small, a dependency of the nearby Qaytouli’s parish. It possesses a classical painting of St Joseph. The church also contains intricate Gipson carvings.