Lebanon: Historic cave monastery re-opened

Source: Fides

The cave monastery of Saint Marone, a place dear to the historical and spiritual memory of the Maronite Christians, has been re-opened for liturgical celebrations, prayer and pilgrimages, after centuries of neglect.

On Tuesday, July 31 2018, the day of the 'Saint Marone student festival', a Eucharistic liturgy was held at the cave-monastery, presided over by Hanna Rahmé OLM, the Maronite Bishop of Baalbek-Deir el Ahmar. Some politicians and representatives of the Lebanese Maronite Order also took part in the Mass.

Located in the north-east of Lebanon, not far from the border with Syria and the sources of the Oronte river, the cave monastery is part of the treasure of memories and places related to Saint Marone, who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries and is considered the father of the monastic-spiritual congregation that gave rise to the formation of the Maronite Church. Already by the fifth century those same caves were occupied by the first students of Saint Marone.

During his homily, Bishop Hanna said: "We managed to get this monastery back, and now we want to share it as a sacred place, with our Christian and Muslim brothers. Perhaps, the first Maronite Patriarch was elected here. And whoever comes here feels the presence of God". The Bishop of Baalbek has also announced that soon at least one Mass will be celebrated in the cave monastery every day.

The ancient monastery had lain empty and exposed to the elements since the monks left, during the Ottoman era. Then, starting from the 1930s, it became the subject of a dispute between the Maronite diocese of Baalbek-Deir el Ahmar and some local Muslim families who claimed it was theirs.

Another more recent dispute, was between the diocese of Baalbek-Deir el Ahmar and the Lebanese ministry of water resources and energy. Eventually that was resolved when the government and the diocese agreed on the possibility of restoring the monastery and re-opening its caves.