Beirut, Lebanon
Church in Beirut, Lebanon
The Maronite Cathedral of Saint George, on Emir Bachir Street in downtown Beirut, is the cathedral of the Maronite Archeparchy of Beirut. It was built between 1884 and 1894 under Archbishop Joseph Debs, on the site of an 18th-century church of St George, with a neoclassical façade and interior inspired by the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. It follows a basilica plan, with a gilded coffered ceiling, marble and stucco walls and a prominent canopy over the altar, and holds the cathedra of the Archbishop of Beirut and the chair used by Pope John Paul II during his 1997 visit. Important archaeological remains, from the Hellenistic period onwards, were uncovered beneath its forecourt. The cathedral was badly damaged in the Lebanese civil war, restored and reopened by Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir on 24 April 2000, and damaged again in the 2020 port explosion. In 2016 a new 72-metre bell tower was inaugurated, matching the height of the minarets of the neighbouring Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, an image of coexistence at the heart of Beirut.
It is a working church: modest dress, quiet, and visits outside services. Fifteen to thirty minutes is enough. It stands beside the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque; photograph the two together from Martyrs' Square, best in the evening when both are lit, then walk on to Nejmeh Square.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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MuseumBeirut, Lebanon
