Section 6 : Ehden - Qannoubine

Mar Antonios Monastery
Monastery of our Lady of Haouqa
Monastery of our Lady of Qannoubine and Ste. Marina Sanctuary
                                    
 Mar Antonios Monastery

Considered among the oldest monasteries in the holy valley of Qadisha, with its hermitage dating back to the 5th century. The oldest part of the monastery is most probably medieval and the outside and belts were built in 1865. The monastery contains the oldest printing press in the Middle East. A cave located at the entrance of the site was used to chain and leave abnormal people alone in the cave in the hope of a miraculous recovery.
Monastery of our Lady of Haouqa

It is the first Maronite seminary in Lebanon. The monastery dates back to the medieval era and had a mural painting that was destroyed later and the only proof to its existence are some colored stones re-used in the building. A story related by Patriarch Douaihy is attached to this holy place. The story says that, during the Mamelouk invasion, the people of Hawqa took shelter in a nearby fortified cave (Assi Hawqa) and could not be reached by the invading army. But a man from the nearby village of Kfarsghab showed the Sultan's army how to flood the cave and kill the refugees, and so it was. The man was rewarded but could not live with the pain and regret. Therefore, he built and dedicated this monastery to the Virgin Mary using stones from the cave in the hope of forgiveness. Today, a Colombian hermit lives there.

Monastery of our Lady of Qannoubine and Ste. Marina Sanctuary

The monastery was built in a rocky pit, most probably by Byzantine emperor Theodos the Great in 379 - 395. No remains are left from the Byzantine convent, and from the medieval period, only a painting representing the face of an angel remains. The walls of the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary are decorated with mural paintings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, representing a vision of the Old Testament and the Virgin Mary with local saints. The monastery was rehabilitated in 1990 and is now used by the Antonine Sisters who welcome pilgrims to spend the night. Nearby is the sanctuary of Saint Marina which is used as burial site for 18 Maronite patriarchs.