Churches and Shrines of Our Lady in Lebanon
by Abbot Francois Eid
Former General Superior of the Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, OMM

 No one has ever poured as much joy on Earth as did the Virgin Mary. No creature has ever triggered the inspiration and creativity of writers, poets, artists and intellectuals like painters, sculptors, musicians and playwright as the Virgin Mary.

 Mary, the brunette of the East, is the most perfect among all creatures and the woman among women. She has spread the presence of God on Earth with faith, love and hope, she has been the provider of blessings between Earth and the heavens.

 Mary has been among us since the dawn of Christianity. Before that she was compared in the Song of Songs to the cedars of Lebanon and Isaiah said: “the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto her” (Isaiah 35:2). Moreover, immediately after the Council of Ephesus held in 451, she was honored with churches dedicated to the Theotokos in Tyre.

 The number of churches and shrines dedicated to her increased and believers often transformed pagan temples into shrines to honor Our Lady. As Osapius mentioned in his book on the life of Constantine and Ernest Renan in his book “A Mission in Phoenicia” (p. 220) the temple of Venus became the Tower of Our Lady, and that of Astarte became the altar of Our Lady of Purity.

 The bond between Lebanon and Our Lady grew stronger and the love of the people deeper until Lebanon became the temple of the Virgin and her kingdom. Consequently, the number of churches dedicated to the Virgin exceeded 1500 church and 3500 altar. Christians in general honored her and Maronites in particular dedicated their patriarchal churches to her.

 The [devotion] of the Lebanese to Our Lady is based on three factors:

 1- The “worshipper”, who is every Lebanese from any sect, be it Christian, Muslim or Druze. Furthermore, both Druze and Muslim Sheikhs built temples and shrines dedicated to Our Lady, and Mary is honored in the Bible and the Koran. The Al Nakadi Sheikh going to war in Akka and the Al Khazen martyr before being hanged ask for her blessings, as well as the Shiite asking for salvation in al Mnaytra and the hero from Ehden Youssef Bek Karam in his war to protect his people.

 In his “Letters from the East”, Poujoulet described the all of the above by saying, “they trust the Virgin more than they trust God himself.”

 2- The “temple”: in all the countries around the world there are churches and temples dedicated to the virgin Mary. However, Lebanon in itself is a temple to Our Lady. In addition to the various churches and altars dedicated to her, there are shrines and statues at every height and in the depth of every grotto and at the top of every rock and summit.

 The Virgin Mary is present everywhere in Lebanon.
 In church she is a patron.
 In homes she is “a lady”.
 In fields she is a blessing.
 In fountains she is a guardian.

 Hills, castles, forts, domes, forests, seas and mountains bare her name. Every piece of land is a place of [devotion] to the Virgin Mary.

 Belligerents meet in the temples dedicated to the Virgin Mary to hold truces and conclude treaties because they are sacred, venerated and sanctified.

 3- “Worship”, practiced differently depending on each Lebanese, starts with liturgy and ends with strange forms of tradition and folklore. It may start with prayer but it continues with fasting, religious processions, pilgrimage and votive offerings. It is also often accompanied with poetry and art during the festive seasons.

 Believers named their children, lands and estates after the Virgin Mary for blessing; and we at the Mariamite Order and at Notre Dame University did the same.

 Mary has become a companion to the Maronites in their earthly pilgrimage. She accompanies them through thick and thin and is the balsam to the hearts of their children. She is their shelter when they need and their source of care, mercy and hope. She has become the meeting place on this Earth: the meeting of God with Man, the meeting between different confessions in Lebanon and the meeting between Christianity and Islam.

 After the Second Vatican Council, the fathers of our order called for a private general council where they presented the idea of renaming the order. The Church approved this proposition and suggested to the following name: “The Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (Mariamite), which has become the adopted name of the Order. The fathers welcomed the name with great joy as if it were the work of the Holy Spirit. It was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Father Jenadious Mourany, the martyr son of the Order, who wrote in his spiritual memoirs: “The virgin wants to be a queen in my order, and she might take the place of Saint Anthony.” (Song of Love, p. 211).

 Today, the Mariamite Maronite Order works with spiritual joy and generosity, loyal to the heritage the fathers and forefathers, to honor our Heavenly Mother dedicating to her its sons, monasteries and mission and especially its university, Notre Dame University, so that she may bless them and watch upon them.

 (Retrieved from the book “The Virgin Mary in Lebanon” by Anwar Saber, Notre Dame University Press, Lebanon, Vol 1, 2001)