Dareb Ain Ebel

This church is one of the largest Lebanese village churches. Its construction began in 1864 but was interrupted by the Ottomans who perceived this endeavor as a military threat. Eighteen years later, in 1882, the construction resumed, and the church was completed in that same year. The brick roof, the marble paving, and the painting of the virgin (the only representation of “The Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus” in Lebanon) were completed in 1906, while the marble altar was installed in 1936.

It was built in 1866, when part of the resident of ‘Ain Ebel changed confession and adopted the Melkite Greek Catholic rite as a result of a conflict with the Maronite Bishop of Tyre. However, when the converted returned to their original Maronite confession, the church remained as a waqf for the Melkite Church.

It is a certified copy from the Louvre museum (AO 4877). The original piece was taken by Renan -from the archaeological site of Dweir- to the Louvre when he visited ‘Ain Ebel in 1860. The scene depicts two persons -who could be identified as Apollon and Artemis or even the sun and the moon- standing behind two bulls with a palm tree in the middle of the scene (a Tyrian symbol). The Greek inscription, carved on the rim above the scene, is a dedication to Apollo made by the superintendent of the commander of Roman’s VIth legion (Ferrata), who offered the gateway of the temple for the salvation of his kids. A date is also inscribed in the middle of the scene, and it corresponds to May/June 196 A.D.

This Maronite church was built in the 1930’s which replaced the 17th century church that was constructed by the first Christians who inhabited ‘Ain Ebel during that period of time. The altar in its actual state is the result of a restoration made in the early 21st century.

It is the part of the village where the modern inhabitants of ‘Ain Ebel settled in the late 16th-early and early17th century. This area was rich in ready-to-use carved stone blocks suitable for construction that dated to the Romano-byzantine period, in addition to its proximity to a water source (the lower water source) and fertile land.

It is composed of three sections: the source, the reservoir and the pool. The structure that covers the water source and the reservoir were built in the 1930s, whereas the pool could date back to the Ottoman period with modifications dating back to the1930s as well.

It is thought that this area was inhabited since prehistoric times. The archaeological findings made by the Jesuits in the early 20th century indicate human activity dating back to the Paleolithic period. Moreover, multiple grottos that were used-during the byzantine period can be found in this zone.

The name ‘‘Dweir’’ comes from the Arabic plural form of “circle” because of the numerous circular pits found on site. Dweir is of an exceptional archaeological importance. It is of an agricultural nature as suggested by the large number of preservation pits along other agricultural elements, such as a pool and a grinding wheel. The archaeological material found on the site covers the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman periods. It is probable that the funerary grottos of the “Jarroudi” area (to the south east of Dweir) are linked to the human activity of Dweir.

well fed by a subterranean water table. The well in its actual form dates to the Ottoman period.

About ten wine presses can be found in ‘Ain Ebel and its surroundings mainly in the western side of the village (adjacent to the hiking trail) and dates to Romano-byzantine period.

A well fed by a subterranean water table. The well in its actual form dates to the Ottoman period.

The Grotto and its surroundings were inhabited since prehistory. A large amount of silex was found in the surroundings. The grotto was reused during the Romano-byzantine period.

It was occupied and used from the Late Bronze Age until the Ottoman period. Renan visited the site in 1860 and described it as a funerary complex.

It is one of the oldest Jesuit convents with its school in Lebanon. Its construction started in the middle of the 18th century and was completed in 1882 along with its church. The convent held the first spiritual retreat of the monks and priests of the Holy Land in 1861. Nowadays the convent and its school are managed by the «Congrégation des Sœurs des Saints-Coeurs de Jesus et de Marie».