On Lebanon’s Mount of Divine Mercy, faith and heritage rise together

GHOSTA, Lebanon — In the mountains of Ghosta, overlooking the bay of Jounieh, a striking testament to Lebanon’s Syriac Christian heritage rises skyward: a towering 12-meter statue of Jesus Christ, part of a growing spiritual sanctuary known as the Mount of Divine Mercy. 

Featured recently in the Suroyo TV Lebanon program “From Lebanon”, the site has become a beacon of contemplation and religious retreat—its origins tracing back to 2015, when Fathers Jean Bou Khalifeh and Jean Aakiki, of the Congregation of Maronite Missionaries, first envisioned a sacred space devoted to Divine Mercy. 

Constructed on monastery land, the statue was designed by Lebanese artist Tony Aouad and now stands between two hills, commanding a panoramic view above the Deir El-Karim Monastery. It is said to be Lebanon’s largest statue of Jesus Christ. 

In the televised interview, Father Aakiki recounted how Father Bou Khalifeh approached him with a small model of Jesus Christ and the dream to build a national shrine. “We prayed for a sign,” Aakiki said. “When Pope Francis declared 2017 the Year of Divine Mercy, it was clear our mission had been blessed.” 

Work began that year with the installation of the statue’s first section. The following year, the upper half was mounted, guided architecturally by Joseph Abdallah. The site now includes a church marked by 12 columns and 12 fountains—symbols reflecting the apostles and the sacred water that flowed from Christ’s side at the crucifixion.

A shrine rooted in mercy and legacy

Central to the mount’s spiritual identity is Polish nun Saint Faustina Kowalska, to whom Jesus Christ reportedly appeared, asking her to paint His image and inscribe the words “Jesus, in You I trust.” The site honors her with a chapel beneath the statue, recognizing her as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. 

Other sanctuaries emerged around the mountain as the site flourished. A chapel to Mother Teresa—patron of the monastery’s “Office of the Forgotten” that cares for the poor and ill—holds a relic of her hair. A new church, completed in 2025, was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul in symbolic protection of Lebanon’s Syriac Maronite President Joseph Aoun and his tenure.

Also read: The Monastery of the Holy Savior in Ghosta

Visitors also find shrines to Lebanese saints Charbel, Rafqa, and Mother Teresa scattered across the hillside. The Path of Divine Mercy leads pilgrims through seven meditative stations, narrating Christ’s encounters with figures such as Zacchaeus the tax collector, the bleeding woman, and the rich young man—culminating at the feet of the statue itself. 

As the Mount of Divine Mercy enters its tenth year, it continues to expand—its churches glowing with spiritual purpose, inviting believers into a deeper union with Christ’s heart. From art and architecture to liturgy and legend, this sacred mount stands not just as a monument of faith, but as a living chapter in Lebanon’s Christian story.