Jump to content

MarMoussa

Coordinates: 33°54′00″N 35°41′06″E / 33.90°N 35.685°E / 33.90; 35.685
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MarMoussa
مار موسى
City
Map showing the location of MarMoussa within Lebanon
Map showing the location of MarMoussa within Lebanon
MarMoussa
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°54′00″N 35°41′06″E / 33.90°N 35.685°E / 33.90; 35.685
Country Lebanon
GovernorateMount Lebanon Governorate
DistrictMatn District
Highest elevation
1,150 m (3,770 ft)
Lowest elevation
900 m (3,000 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+961

MarMoussa (Arabic: مار موسى, also spelled Mar-Moussa) is a town in Lebanon in the Matn District of Mount Lebanon Governorate. It is 25 km (16 mi) from Beirut at an altitude ranging between 900 and 1,150 metres (2,950 and 3,770 ft) above sea level.

History

[edit]

In 1753, a group of Lebanese monks built the monastery of Mar Moussa Al-Habshi[1] over the remains of an old Roman sanctuary. In later years, migrant families from Byblos, Chbaniyé, and Bikfaya settled in the area, where they were employed to cultivate the monastery's lands. Gradually, the community grew into the village called Mar Moussa Ed-Douar. With government financial assistance in the 1950s, the resident farmers obtained ownership of the land and began expanding the village. Since then, many villas and houses have been built in the surrounding area, which is full of pine trees. The village's most prominent landmarks are the monastery and the windmill.

Demography

[edit]

The inhabitants of MarMoussa are followers of the Maronite Catholic Church.[citation needed]

Religious structures

[edit]

Like most mountain villages in Lebanon, MarMoussa is home to a historic Maronite monastery: Deir Mar Moussa (Saint Moussa Monastery). Built in 1753, Deir Mar Moussa Al-Habshi is constructed of white stones and consists of several long buildings with bricks on top, surrounded by trees. It was built over the remains of an old sanctuary. In the monastery there is a small church dedicated to St. Charbel and shrines for St. Rafqa (a Maronite Lebanese nun beatified in 1985 and canonized in 2001) and Na’amatallah Al-Hardini (a Lebanese monk who was declared venerable in 1989, beatified in 1998, and canonized on 16 May 2004). The courtyard of Deir Mar Moussa overlooks terraces and the pine mountains of Bzebdine, as well as Mount Kneysseh.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Monastery of Mar Moussa". guide.moovtoo.com. 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
[edit]