Zakrit – Mar Abda

Notre Dame de Bkerkasha, Bcharre - Tannourine Road, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة السيّدة

City:  Bqerqacha

District:  Bcharre

Governorate:  North

History: 

كنيسة السيّدة - بقرقاشا

البناء الحاليّ يعود لسنة ١٨١٠، وبالأصل هو ديرٌ قديمٌ مبنيٌّ على اسم مار نوهرا. عندما بنيت الكنيسة الرعائيّة الكبيرة أوائل القرن العشرين، تحوّلت هذه الكنيسة لشفاعة السيّدة. يتألف البناء من عقدٍ مُصالبٍ ينتهي بحنية نصف دائريّة. رمّمت الكنيسة سنة ٢٠١٩. لوحة السيّدة، أيقونةٌ محليّة الصنع غير موقّعة، تعود لمدرسة القرن السادس عشر.

The church of our Lady - Bqorqasha

The current church dates back to 1810. It was originally dedicated to St Nohra (Logius). When the current parish church was built in the beginning of the XXth century, this church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The structure consists of an arched vault with a semi circular apse. The church was restored in 2019. It holds a local icon of the virgin dating back to the XVIth century.

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.

St Teddy Church, Qartaba, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  مار تادي - قرطبا

Year built:  1607

City:  Qartaba

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

بنيت الكنيسة سنة ١٦٠٧ عندما نزح الخوري تادي وأولاده من بلاد الرها الى قرطبا ووهبهم الأرض لبنائها مشايخ آل حمادة. الكنيسة هي الوحيدة في لبنان على إسم مار تادي أي تدّاوس رسول آسية الصغرى وهو المعروف بمار لابا في سائر كنائس لبنان. أعيد بناء الكنيسة سنة ١٨٦٨. اللوحة الأساسيّة تعود لسنة ١٨٨٠ من عمل الرسّام داود القرم رُمّمت سنة ٢٠٠٤ وتُمثّل مار تادي بهيئة أسقف. وفي الكنيسة لوحة ثانية لمار شلّيطا من عمل الرسّام البولوني بولس شلافاك.

‏The church was built in 1607 when the family of the priest Tedy came to Qartaba from Urfa. It was built upon a parcel of land that was donated by the Hamade sheikhs. It is the only church in Lebanon dedicated to St Tedy or Jude the apostle of Asia Minor. The other churches in Lebanon are usually dedicated to him under the name of apostle Leba. The church was rebuilt in 1868. The painting is the work of Dawoud Al Qorm dating back to year 1880 representing St Tedy as a bishop. It was restored in 2004. The church holds another painting by the polish painter Paul Shlavak and represents St Shalita (Artemius of Antioch) on his horse.