Mar Doumit
South of the village, on a hill facing the sea. A monastery that fell into ruin around 1900, rebuilt as a vaulted church with a dome and bell. Its feast is celebrated on the evening of 6 August.
Stone, faith and memory
Heritage & Faith
Two churches at the heart of the village, a ring of old monasteries around it "like a bracelet around a wrist", and a natural fortress keeping watch over the coast.
Two churches at the heart of the village
At the centre of Bchaaleh stand two churches. Our Lady of Balata (Saydet el-Balata) is the older one: a historic church dating back to the 16th century.
St Stephen's (Mar Estephan) is the parish church, built in the late 18th century on the site of an earlier, smaller church already mentioned in 1796, and fully rebuilt around 1870. It is one of the largest churches in the Batroun region.
St Stephen's, stone by stone
The new church was raised by master builders from Choueir, while the six-sided, two-tier bell tower was carved by four brothers of the village, Mikhael, Tannous, Hanna and Khairallah Doumit, after the model of Our Lady of Deliverance in Zahle. Inside are three altars and a painting of St Stephen by the Italian painter Giusti.
The stones were cut from the Mahfar quarry above the village. When the troubles of 1860 halted building across Lebanon, the people of Bchaaleh would not stop: men and women formed a human chain from the quarry to the site and passed the stones from hand to hand. The interior was later restored by Bchaalani engineers and craftsmen, who revealed the stone vaults and added stained glass. The feast of St Stephen is celebrated on 27 December.
A bracelet of monasteries
Old monasteries surround Bchaaleh. Most were churches in the past; several have been lovingly restored, and each comes alive on its feast day with Mass, music and village evenings.
Mar Risha
About 200 m west of Mar Doumit. Restored in 1961 with an altar and baptismal font. Annual Mass on 23 March.
Mar Touma
About 3 km south-west of the village, cared for by the St Stephen's committee. Its feast, on the first Sunday of October, gathers Bchaaleh, Assia, Hadtoun and Tartej around the bishop.
Mar Saba
200 m north of Mar Touma: the ruins of an old monastery that devoted villagers hope to restore for visitors.
Mar Mama
West of the village, close to the houses. During the First World War, villagers prayed here on Sundays. Mass on the evening of 2 September.
Mar Sarkis & Bakhos
North-west of Bchaaleh, restored by the Wehbe family. Mass on 7 October, inside and under its tall pines.
Mar Yaacoub al-Hosn
North of the village on a sheer cliff near the fortress, between Bchaaleh, Douma and Bechtoudar. A two-storey U-shaped monastery with a beautiful church, run today by a Maronite order.
The Hosn fortress
On a hill north of the village rises the Hosn, a natural fortress about 250 m long and 150 m wide that can only be reached from the Bchaaleh side. From its top, the eye follows the coast from Syria past Tripoli all the way to Beirut.
Its ruins carry traces of many ages: rock-cut tombs, deep tunnels, and at the summit a great pierced rock with a channel for water, perhaps an ancient place of offering. Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods have all been suggested. Below it lies the Meidan, where tombs, sarcophagi and old coins have been found.
The Saleeb and the Sacred Heart
The Saleeb, at about 1,370 m, is the village's summit and favourite place for a walk. A large bronze statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, arms open in blessing, stands above a small shrine. Each year on the feast of the Sacred Heart, the parish priest leads the faithful in procession from St Stephen's up to the statue for Mass.
Facing it, on a hill to the north, stands an iron cross given by the association Les Ouvriers de la Croix.