Kadisha Valley

To make a journey into biblical history, there is no place like Lebanon, the land of amber; and incense;
it is the Holy Valley that lies along 35 kilometers; from the Cedars of the Lord to Tripoli. It was the refuge of the Maronite community that came in the middle of the seventh century and lived together: the Patriarch, monks, hermits, people and the churches. Everything in the valley recalls the struggle to safeguarding faith. Before Maronites came, the convent of Qannoubine was, in the seventh century, a place where the hermits used to meet before they go to live in seclusion. It was Theodore the Great (379-395) who founded this convent, and dedicated it to the care of the Virgin Mary. The word Qannoubine is of Greek origin and means community life.

Qannoubine remained during four centuries, the vivid center of the Maronite community. The cells are engraved in the rocks and its church is under the patronage of the Virgin Mary as it was since its foundation. There, one can find icons from the 25th and 26th centuries as well as documents written in Syriac and Latin.

Kadisha Valley also has the convent of St. Antoine Kozhaya which dates back to the 12th century. It is protected by the angels of the heavens. And although Turkish soldiers looted it in 1866 and took all its possessions, one can still find some sacred vestments weaved in golden and silver thread - a precious crozier and a mass paten offered by the kings of France. We can read on the paten the following inscription: "Offered to the convent of Kozhaya in 1100. The convent was restored in 1926, just near the caves where the hermits lived. The church is carved out of the rock."

Also in this valley, the first printing machine in Lebanon was installed on 1610.