- Our Lady of Lebanon
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Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon or Notre Dame du Liban.
Our Lady of Lebanon statue viewed from below.
Pietà near the base of the Our Lady of Lebanon statue.
The Bay of JouniehOur Lady of Lebanon (Arabic,سيدة لبنان), also known as Notre Dame du Liban, is a marian shrine and a pilgrimage site, honoring the patron saint of the Mediterranean country of Lebanon. The Lebanese Christians as well as the Druze and Muslims have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch named her the "Queen of Lebanon" in 1908 upon completion of the shrine.[1]. Overlooking the bay of Jounieh, the shrine has become a major tourist attraction where tourists take the gondola lift, the Téléphérique, from the city of Jounieh to Harissa.
Contents
History
In 1907, the French-made, painted in white, 13-ton, bronze statue[2] of the Virgin Mary, was erected on top of a hill, 650 meters above sea level, in the village of Harissa, 20 km north of Beirut in honor of Our Lady of Lebanon. It was made up of seven sections that were assembled on top of the stone base, which had a bottom perimeter of 64m, an upper perimeter of 12m and with an overall height of 20m. The height of the statue is 8.50m while its perimeter is 5.50m. The statue and the shrine were inaugurated in 1908, and since then it has been a major pilgrimage destination in Lebanon.
Papal Visit
Pope John Paul II visited the shrine when he made an official visit to Lebanon on May 10, 1997. He conducted a mass in the modern Basilica. On December 8, 1998, the Vatican announced that the World Day of the Sick would be celebrated on February 11, 1999 at Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.[3] Pope John Paul II prayed that Our Lady of Lebanon who had watched over the agonizing suffering of the Lebanese people could help all those who were suffering in the world.[3]
Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for peace in Lebanon and Gaza by invoking the protection Our Lady of Lebanon on January 28, 2007. He said, "To Christians in Lebanon, I repeat the exhortation to be promoters of real dialogue between the various communities, and upon everyone I invoke the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon."
The Papal Embassy as well as the residences of four Eastern Rite cardinals of the Roman Catholic church are in the vicinity of Harissa and Our Lady of Lebanon.[4]
Churches, Schools, and Shrines Dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon
Argentina
- Instituto Nuestra Señora del Libano, San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina
- Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Libano, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Australia
- Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Melbourne VIC
- Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, Sydney NSW
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, West Wollongong NSW
- Our Lady of Lebanon College, Harris Park, NSW
Brazil
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Líbano in Fortaleza, Brazil- Our Lady of Lebanon Melkite Church - Fortaleza
- Our Lady of Lebanon square - Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais
- Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, São Paulo, SP
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Porto Alegre, RS
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Canada
- Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Toronto, Ontario
- Our Lady Of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church and Shrine - Leamington, Ontario
France
Mexico
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Mexico City
Philippines
- National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, Cotabato City
- Parish Church of Our Lady of Lebanon, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, General Santos City, South Cotabato
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Zamboanga City
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Sultan Kudarat
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Dipolog City
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Iligan City
- Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Isabela City, Basilan
South Africa
- Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon, Woodmead, Johannesburg
- The Maronite Catholic Church, Mulbarton, Johannesburg
UK
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish - London
USA
Brooklyn cathedralCalifornia
- Mariam Mother of Life Shrine (replica of Our Lady of Lebanon) at St. Ephrem's Maronite Catholic Church - El Cajon, California
- Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon - Los Angeles, California
- Our Lady of Mount Lebanon - Los Angeles, California
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Antiochene Catholic Church - Millbrae, California
Connecticut
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Waterbury, Connecticut
Disctrict of Colombia
- Our Lady of Lebanon Chapel, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception -Washington, D.C.
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish - Washington, D.C.
- Our Lady of Lebanon Seminary - Washington, D.C.
Florida
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Miami, Florida
Illinois
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Lombard, Illinois (A Suburb of Chicago)
Massachusetts
- Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon - Boston, Massachusetts
Michigan
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Flint, Michigan
Missouri
- Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon - Saint Louis, Missouri
New York
- Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon - Brooklyn, New York
- Our Lady of Lebanon Parish (1914-Maronite; 1934-Roman) - Niagara Falls, New York
Ohio
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Mission - Columbus, Ohio
- National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon - North Jackson, Ohio
Pennsylvania
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Easton, Pennsylvania
Texas
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Austin, Texas
- Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon, Houston, Texas
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Lewisville, Texas
West Virginia
- Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church - Wheeling, West Virginia
References
External links
- Our Lady of Lebanon - Harissa
- Congregation of the Lebanese Maronites Missinnaries
- OpusLibani
- Pope's visit in Lebanon
- Maronite Eparchy of Australia
Coordinates: 33°58′54″N 35°39′05″E / 33.98167°N 35.65139°E
Categories:- Marian shrines
- Marian devotions
- Melkite Greek Catholic Church
- Roman Catholic devotions
- Christianity in Lebanon
- Eastern Catholicism
- Maronite Church
- Pope John Paul II
- Places of worship in Lebanon
- Churches in Lebanon
- Titles of Mary
- Sufi shrines
- Shi'a shrines
- Tourism in Lebanon
- Visitor attractions in Lebanon
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