The Monastery of Saint Ephrem the Syriac in Chbaniyeh

CHBANIYEH, Lebanon – The Monastery of Saint Ephrem the Syriac in the village of Chbaniyeh, Baabda District, is more than 315 years old and the birthplace of the Ephraimite monastic order of the Syriac Catholic Church. It’s situated at an altitude of some 860 meters above sea level in rough terrain, 29 kms away from the Lebanese capital Beirut. 

Establishment of the Monastery

In the early 1600s, Catholic missionaries started successful missionary work in the city in what was then Ottoman territory. They were able to draw many Syriac Orthodox into the Catholic faith, and, in 1662, they succeeded in electing a patriarch of their own. This Syriac Catholic patriarchate was able to hold on until 1702.  

The Ottoman government sided with the established Syriac Orthodox Church, and the new converts to Catholicism were persecuted.  

In a documentary made by Rania Zahra Sharbel for Suroyo TV, abbot Boutros Salman explains the origin story of the monastery which start with four young men fleeing Adana in 1695. The four had been detained in Adana prison by the Ottoman authorities. Upon their release, to escape further persecution, they fled to Holeb, then Daramsuq (Damascus), and later Beirut. Syriac Maronite Patriarch Estephan Douaihy (1670-1704) received them and directed them to the Abu Lamaa family in Mount Lebanon for shelter. 

The young men acquired land in Chbaniyeh, in a rugged area called the “Land of the Quarries” because of the rocky terrain, difficult to clear for agriculture. The four completed construction of the church in 1703, and monastic life began at the Monastery of Saint Ephrem the Syriac in 1705. A second monastery for nuns, called the Worshippers of Mary, was later opened next to it. 

Architecture

The monastery was designed in a unique architectural style, with a wing with arches and a long walkway, and a wing without a walkway to accommodate the winter climate. The western facade of the monastery was carved into the rock. The monks also built irrigation channels to provide water for animals and protect the monastery from rain, as well as a cave to store food.

 

 

 

 

 

A community monastery 

The monks served the parishes in the Chbaniyeh area for more than 100 years. Initially, the parishes were three and associated with families, Beit Raad, Beit Sarkis, and Beit Mounes. These churches were united in 1800 into a single church called the Church of Our Lady. 

Saint Ephrem Monastery was considered one of the distinguished monasteries in terms of education, knowledge, and architecture. Children from the surrounding villages visited it for catechism and to learn Arabic, Syriac, Italian and Latin, as well as other sciences.  

The library of the monastery was one of the richest in Lebanon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The monks continually enriched it with manuscripts and printed books from Ottoman territories in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Turkey. They also copied many books themselves. 

Nineteenth century

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the monastery was affected by armed conflicts, invasions, and wars. The Ottomans would raid it, persecute and kill monks, and seize its property. The monks even built a safe room in the monastery, the door of which could be closed with a large stone, for protection in times of turmoil. 

The library and manuscripts of the monastery were likewise affected, and many of them were burned. The Syriac Catholic Church, however, was able to transfer some of the manuscripts to the nearby Sharfeh or Lady of Deliverance Monastery in Daroun—the summer patriarchal seat and the current headquarters of the Ephraimite order. These manuscripts contained the monks’ daily archives, prayer books, and translations from foreign languages into Syriac, and from Syriac into Arabic, covering topics like philosophy, theology, and agriculture. A complete archive of these manuscripts is still held in the Vatican Library. 

The Mountain Revolt of 1840-1860 greatly affected the St Ephrem monastery. During this period, many monks were killed, and the entire monastery and manuscripts were burned. Monastic life came to a complete halt. 

Between 1881 and 1890, the Ephraimite order established a new monastery under the same name in the city of Merde (Mardin). However, during the war in 1914, this monastery was destroyed, and the abbot and monks were martyred. In October 2022, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Mor Ignatius Yusuf III Younan consecrated the restored monastery.

Twentieth century

After 1950, attempts began to revive the St. Ephrem Monastery. However, the rough terrain, climate, and access to supplies hindered the monks’ return. This continued until 2000, when Syriac Catholic Patriarch, and former cardinal, Mor Ignatius Mushe Daoud (1998-2001) proposed the idea of reviving monasticism at the monastery.  

Novices from Sharfeh Monastery moved to the Monastery of St. Ephrem the Syriac making the monastery again a beacon for the local community. The monks teach local village children the languages and sciences, making it once again a center of education.