Lebanon: Churches, Monasteries and Mosques
Categories: orthodox-life, holidays, monasticism, other-churches, lebanon
Date: 10 March 2012 08:55:02
Much like the series M*A*S*H lasting longer than the actual Korean war, my blogs on Lebanon seem longer than my actual holiday!
In my last post I looked at Christianity in the Qadisha Valley, heartland of the Maronite Church; this post will be a grand sweep of the monasteries, churches and monasteries I stumbled across on my travels.
High up on a sheer cliff face, accessible via a trail and steps, is the Greek Orthodox monastery of Hamatoura, established it is believed as early as the 4th century, being at its height in the 14th century where some 200 monks were in residence. It was a good walk, zig-zagging up the cliff on a warm day, but well worth it. The monks, and visitors, were wonderfully kind (a couple gave me a lift back to town, alleviating me the need to walk up the hill on the other side of the river after coming down), and a monk who spoke very good English gave me a tour of the monastery, including the relics of St Jacob, beheaded by the Mamelukes for not renouncing his faith, and other monks, and the very beautiful church which included an icon on my patron Saint, St John Climacus. A man who is staying at the monastery also told me much about the monastery, as we ate, drank coffee and talked. I do pray I may return to Lebanon soon, and Hamatoura is on my list for, I pray, a visit and stay for several days.
I also visited Balamand Monastery, in a not-so-remote setting (just outside Tripoli, with the busy University of Balamand just up the road). Again, a kind man took me around and let me into the beautiful chapels. I also bought a The Virgin Guide icon and a necklace cross which is now hanging off my rear-vision mirror.
Just north of Beirut is the town of Jounieh, home now of a lavish casino I avoided and many "super nightclubs" (as they were advertised), from a time where the sleepy Christian port turned into a place of 'hedonistic escapism for the privileged amongst Lebanon's Christian community' (as my guidebook put it) from war-torn Beirut. At a beautiful landscaped park, with a pond, bubbling fountains and lighting, all done in typical Lebanese over-the-top style, are a number of shrines dedicated to St George. Jounieh is also where I caught the Téléphérique (or 'terrorpherique' as I read somewhere), flying between and very close to apartments, and giving a great view, to the 15-tonne bronze statue (now painted white) of Our Lady of Lebanon, a major pilgrimage site, with a modern cathedral nearby and a Byzantine-style basilica not far away. One can drive up there, but I think the Téléphérique is the way to go.
Another towering religious site is the 54-metre Our Lady of Zahlé and the Bekka, in Zahlé . Zahlé is Lebanon's third-largest city, is 55 kms from Beirut over the mountains, and home to a significant number of Greek Catholics. A lift was present though did not seem to be functioning, so it was up the stairs for a beautiful view of Zahlé, known as the 'Bride of the Bekaa' due to its geographical location, attractiveness, and fantastic restaurants, the Bekka being the plateau it is situated on.
When in Beirut, I worshipped at St George's Orthodox Cathedral, and also worshipped at the Maronite Cathedral, also under the patronage of St George. While many associate St George with England, he was from the Roman province of Syria Palæstina and it a popular Lebanese name as well as a very popular Lebanese Saint. The Maronite Cathedral was built in neo-classical style in 1888, and the current Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1767, though a number of churches existed before that one and is the oldest functioning church in Beirut. You can go under the cathedral and see ruins and ancient icons; and, again, a very nice guide took me around and explained the age of and Saints depicted in the icons, in a mix of English, French and Arabic based on my reactions and understanding. Damaged during the war, as many sites were, the cathedral has recently been restored, with icons covering the walls. Many other churches were in Beirut and I visited many as I walked around town.
In Muslim areas in towns, or towns and cities where there were significant Muslim populations, mosques were built in all styles from simple buildings, to the grand Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in Beirut (built between 2002 and 2007 by the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was buried beside it after his assassination), to an ornate mosque I saw in Baalbek, to the green-domed Taynal Mosque in Tripoli. The muezzins' regular and beautiful calls to prayer, and the Muslim faithful entering, leaving or listening to sermons inside and outside of mosques, added to the sights and sounds of the cities.
As I travelled around Lebanon, I visited churches owned by the Orthodox, Maronites, Greek Catholics (Melkites) and Syrian Catholics, often being blessed by able to attend services that were starting or had started when I arrived. To worship in such an ancient land, a place where Christianity has existed for such a long time, and to worship with my Lebanese Christian brothers and sisters, was a true blessing.
