Religious buildings Beirut Central District

1 religious buildings

1.1 saint george maronite cathedral
1.2 mohammad al-amin mosque
1.3 st. georges greek orthodox cathedral
1.4 grand omari mosque
1.5 st. nishan armenian orthodox church
1.6 st. elie armenian catholic cathedral
1.7 amir assaf mosque
1.8 emir munzer mosque
1.9 saint elias greek catholic cathedral
1.10 national evangelical church
1.11 saint louis capuchin church
1.12 saints anglican church

religious buildings

saint george maronite cathedral , mohammad al-amin mosque sit side side in beirut s central district

the beirut city center 1 of religiously diverse areas in world. mosques , churches lie side side on bcd s streets. several of these churches , mosques hundreds of years old , of high archaeological significance. in total, bcd home ten churches, 6 mosques, , 1 synagogue located in wadi abu jamil neighborhood. despite severe destruction incurred on these buildings during civil war, have been restored prior shape , in use. during religious holidays , occasions, churches , mosques host social gatherings, charity events, religious competitions, chorus recitals of religious verses, , mass prayers attended lebanon s top political figures.

saint george maronite cathedral

the saint george maronite cathedral cathedral of maronite archdiocese in beirut. after ten years of works started monsignor joseph debs, construction of cathedral finished in 1894. church s facade, interior , plan inspired basilica di santa maria maggiore in city of rome. walls of church decorated stucco , marble. armchair pope john paul ii used during visit lebanon in may 1997 has been preserved in cathedral s retroquire.

mohammad al-amin mosque

the mohammad al-amin mosque sunni muslim mosque located on beirut s martyrs square. known being backdrop of cedar revolution events in 2005. inspired sultan ahmed mosque in istanbul, mosque follows ottoman architectural style touches , illustrations in mamluk egyptian style. recognizable yellow ochre stone exterior, giant blue domes, , 72-meter-high mecca-styled minarets. construction began in 2002 prime minister rafik hariri, , finished in 2007. son saad hariri inaugurated mosque in huge celebration on october 17, 2008. central mosque sunni muslim denomination in lebanon.

st. georges greek orthodox cathedral


saint george greek orthodox cathedral on nejme square

the greek orthodox cathedral of st. georges, completed in 1772, located directly on nejme square , oldest orthodox church in beirut. location believed directly adjacent site of renowned roman law school of beirut. church underwent several restorations in history due natural disasters, erosion, , intentional destruction. during lebanese civil war, church burned , destroyed of belongings stolen. greek orthodox archbishopric of beirut began renovation on october 16, 1995. excavation @ site led discovery of remains of 3 other churches , part of roman colonnades. these artifacts incorporated underground museum directly located below cathedral.

grand omari mosque

the grand omari mosque

before being eclipsed mohammad al-amin mosque, used central mosque of beirut. named in honor of umar ibn al-khattab, mosque crusader church, turn used pagan temple. occupied , reoccupied again , again warring factions during crusades era, mosque rested in hands of muslims in 1291. mosque s interior sandstone walls decorated in mamluk , ottoman inscriptions. inside mosque, golden steel cage, gift sultan abdul hamid ii beirut, encircles shrine john baptist. mosque s mihrab, semicircular niche in wall indicating qibla, located on eastern side, , bears distinct ancient greek engravings. 3 hairs prophet muhammad preserved in southwestern side of mosque; presented mosque sultan abdülmecid i. mosque underwent several restorations general directory of awqaf , tourism ministry, in 1952 , 1949. sustained severe damages in lebanese civil war, , attacked several times militias slashed sahabah names on walls , stolen hairs. during reconstruction of beirut central district, mosque renovated , enlarged current area.

st. nishan armenian orthodox church

the armenian orthodox church of st. nishan

this church dedicated armenian orthodox church in beirut central district. constructed directly on serail hill facing serail , conservatoire libanais. name means holy sign , referring important relic. church s exterior covered white limestone tiles, while roof covered red bricks , grey lead dome.

st. elie armenian catholic cathedral

the catholic armenian church of st. elie

the first armenian catholic cathedral constructed in beirut, construction began armenian catholic archbishop in 1860. severely damaged during civil war, due location directly along green line. archbishopric took control of in 1990s , began restoration works. church destroyed several times in history, notably when torn down expanded in 1901 , construction of saints convent in 1950.

amir assaf mosque

the amir assaf mosque located on weygand street in central district of beirut, near eastern side of al-omari great mosque , facing southeastern angle of municipal palace , samir kassir garden. built emir mansour assaf between 1572 , 1580 on site of byzantine church of holy savior. called bab al-saray mosque meaning door of great serial . scholars disagree regarding reason mosque s second name, referring ottoman grand serail while others insist s referring dar al-wilaya , ancient government serail near mosque built prince fakhr-al-din ii, governor of beirut , mount lebanon.

emir munzer mosque

named after prince munzer bin suleiman, mosque called nafoura (which means fountain) due presence of ancient fountain in courtyard. mosque completed in 1620 during reign of fakhr-al-din ii, prince of mount lebanon. mosque contains 6 roman columns in center.

saint elias greek catholic cathedral

the saint elias cathedral located along nejme square in beirut central district, , affiliated greek melkite catholic church in lebanon. @ time of completion in 1863, cathedral perceived remarkable place due byzantine architecture , beautiful oriental decoration. cathedral famous notable neo-classical interior design, marble iconostasis, gothic arcs, , celestial oculi. cathedral restored archdiocese in 1994, after damages caused war. restoration works began @ end of 2003 , ended in may 2006.

national evangelical church

national evangelical church of beirut

the national evangelical church of beirut first native arabic protestant congregation of middle east. established in downtown beirut in 1848 congregational , presbyterian american missionaries, oldest , biggest of 9 congregations in lebanon. during lebanese civil war (1975–1990), church destroyed, except bell-tower, , congregation consequently dispersed. since reconstruction in 1998, national evangelical church of beirut started re-gathering parishioners in fold, , holding regular prayer services , organizing socio-cultural activities. residing directly adjacent grand serail, architecture of church gothic , oriental red-brick roof.

saint louis capuchin church

the saint louis capuchin church latin catholic church in downtown beirut, located north of grand serail , council of reconstruction , development. built in 1864 capuchin missionaries , named in honor of king louis ix of france. church first landmark structure renovated , opened in beirut after end of lebanese civil war. church highly noticeable sand-stone facades, rose-colored wooden windows, , new towering white-limestone campanile.

all saints anglican church

all saints church established in 1912. church founded sea shore close port of beirut in order serve seafarers. became church international english speaking community in lebanese capital. arab local congregation established palestinian refugees forced out of land , homes in 1948. many lebanese families came lebanon palestine, became anglicans, joined church since then. saints 1 of 27 anglican/episcopal churches in territories under jurisdiction of episcopal church in jerusalem , middle east. saints anglican church in lebanon.