Zouk Mikael – The monastery of the Annunciation Khazen for the Visitandine nuns

Hasbaiyya, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة مار جرجس

City:  Hasbaiya

District:  Hasbaya

Governorate:  Nabatieh

History: 

كنيسة مار جرجس - حاصبيّا

بُنبيت الكنيسة الأولى أوائل القرن التاسع عشر، وأُعيد بناء الحاليّة سنة ١٩١٠. الكنيسة كناية عن عقدٍ مُصالبٍ ينتهي بحنية نصف دائريّة. مذبح الكنيسة من الحجر الأصفر مبنيّ سنة ١٩١٢. بعد الحرب الأهليّة اللبنانيّة نزح القسم الأكبر من مسيحيّي البلدة فأصبحت الكنيسة شبه مهجورة. زارها غبطة البطريرك مار بشارة بطرس الراعي صيف سنة ٢٠١١.

The church of St George - Hasbaya

The first church was built in the early XIXth century, and rebuilt in 1910. The structure consists of a crossed vault ending with a semi circular apse. The altar is made of a local yellow limestone in 1912. After the civil war the town’s maronite population left in great numbers and the church became partially abandoned. The Patriarch Bechara el Rai visited the church in the summer of 2011.

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.

Église Notre Dame de la Falaise, Ehmej, Lebanon

Name in arabic:  كنيسة سيّدة الشير

City:  Ehmej

District:  Jbeil

Governorate:  Mount Lebanon

History: 

كنيسة سيّدة الشير - إهمج

كنيسة سيدة الشير الرعائيّة العجائبيّة، دُعيت بهذا الإسم نسبةً إلى المكان الذي أقيمت عليه وهو شير صخريّ يبلغ ارتفاعه حوالي خمسين مترًا. تعود الكنيسة الأولى إلى العصور الوسطى، وخُرّبت وأعيد بناؤها سنة ١٦٧٦، بعد عودة الأهالي إلى القرية. بدأ العمل في بناء الكنيسة بشكلها الحاليّ سنة ١٩٠٠ وتمّ إنجازها في العام ١٩٢٠. وهي تشتهر بعجائبها الكثيرة.

The church of Our Lady of the cliff - Ehmej

The parish church of our Lady was named after a 50 meter limestone cliff above which it stands. The first medieval church was sabotaged and rebuilt in 1676 after the Maronites' return to the village. In 1900 the church took its current form and was completed in 1920. The church is a pilgrimage site famous for the miracles that happened there.