Home Middle East Lebanon Harissa – Our Lady of Lebanon

Harissa – Our Lady of Lebanon

November 14, 2017

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This visit was part of a Viator tour I took.

The small town of Harissa hosts the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. Since it’s foundation stone was laid in 1904, it has become an international pilgrimage site, a national site, a religious monument, a Marian shrine and a tourist attraction.

The town which sits on a sharp rock cliff (the word “Harissa” derives from Arabic and Hebrew for “a sharp blade”) provides a great vantage point over the city of Jounieh below, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Why go?

Those seeking a spiritual connection may find the beautiful surroundings, the spacious shrine and the several churches an inviting place to pray or meditate.
The view of Beirut is worth the visit.
Harissa, Jeita Grotto, and Byblos make a good grouping of sites to visit in one day since they are close to each other and they can each take just a couple of hours to visit.

What you need to know:

Harissa is about 26 kilometers from Beirut.
The main attraction is Our Lady of Lebanon, a 8.5 meter high, 15 ton bronze statue (painted white) of the Virgin Mary with outstretched hands toward Beirut.
This is an active Marian shrine and a pilgrimage site, which draws millions of faithful (including Pope John Paul II in 1997).
You can drive up to the Shrine (there is a limited parking lot available), or you can take a cable car and then a funicular up from a parking lot at the base of the mountain.
The base of the statue can be climbed by a spiral staircase, which gets more narrow as you get closer to the top.
Related to this being a Christian site: A study done by Statistics Lebanon found that Lebanon’s population is 54% Muslim, 5.6% Druze (who do not consider themselves Muslim), and 40% Christian.
Services are held daily.

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it.