On the coast between the two towns of Batroun and
Shekka, some sixty kilometers north of Beirut, there
rises a high plateau commanding the view of the horizon
and dominating the sea with its steep cliff some two
hundred meters (over six hundred feet) high, cutting
North Lebanon off from the rest of the country.
Reaching this high and precipitous plateau demands
some effort; it may be done either by following the
coastal route crossing a geological fault or by passing
round behind it through the Nahr al-Jawz valley that
is guarded by a picturesque fortress perched on a
rock, the Mossayleha.
The wide triangular surface shelters on its upper
eastern side a Greek Orthodox village known as Hamat,
from an Akkadian word meaning citadel, fortress or
the impregnable. This place, mentioned several times
in the Bible, represented in fact the northern limit
of the kingdom of Byblos during the 3rd, 2nd and 1st
millennia before Christ, and was the haunt of rebels
and of brigands who imposed a ransom on passing travelers.
It needed the illustrious Roman general Pompey to
master the area, which he did in the year 66 B.C..
This high plateau has the attraction of sheltering
a famous medieval convent called Deir Nourriyeh, the
Convent of Light, overlooking the sea from its lofty
eminence. The scene is of fairy beauty, an eagle’s
eyrie, from where one has a view of blue waters stretching
into a far distant horizon. Here is a magical site
that the Greeks called Theou Prospon, the Face of
God, in other words the Imposing Image of God facing
the ocean.
The story goes that people lost at sea during a violent
storm saw a light shining on the promontory and by
this means were saved. A stele and a polychrome mosaic
were installed on the summit dedicated to the Holy
Virgin with her Child, everywhere invoked by sailors
as Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea, to recall the
miracle of how the travelers’ vessel was saved.
Near the monument stands a monastery dating from the
6th century A.D., the time of the emperor Justinian.
Its church is served by the Orthodox clergy, while
nuns guard and look after it, and recite the liturgical
prayers.
This convent built on the remains of an earlier temple
comprises rooms arranged in two storeys around a cloister
which charms with its pillars and central court, a
veritable haven of peace as in any contemplative nunnery.
This courtyard leads one into the chapel, artistically
built, with an elegant iconostasis and simple Byzantine
icons some of which are of considerable age. The place
draws many families on pilgrimage on Sundays and feast-days,
when it resounds to enthralling chanting and hymn-singing.
Children are brought to be baptized and couples to
be married amidst great rejoicing. Fine weather brings
family groups to picnic and troops of boy scouts and
other holiday-makers who never tire of admiring the
wonderful view of the sea and the soaring cliff.
But halfway up the cliff-face, lost among the tangled
bushes and the rocks, one may see an ancient little
monastic cenobium composed of several cells to accommodate
anchorites. It can be reached only by a twisting path
through the shrubbery. In it one finds a small rustic
chapel with icons blackened like the walls by the
smoke of votive candles lighted by countless intrepid
and fervent visitors. Here also one is enraptured
by the sight of the wide translucent sea and the great
face of the cliff. The wild and primitive character
of this solitary corner buried in exuberant vegetation
must have been pleasing to hermits seeking silence
and contemplation. It now gives joy to those who go
down there and imposes their respect.
The collection of remarkable sites on this high plateau
make it well worth visiting, particularly on days
when the crowds are drawn.
Jean de Lalande - Translation: K.J. Mortimer
- Deir Nourriyeh, the Convent of Light: >> View
Movie << (2007-04-01)
- Deir Nourriyeh, the Convent of Light: >> View
Movie << (2011-09-01)
