Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya دير مار أنطونيوس قزحيا
The Monastery of Qozhaya - July 2003
Administration
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	North Governorate
District	Zgharta District
Geography
Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya Location of Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya, Lebanon
Coordinates	34°16′59″N 35°56′50″E / 34.28306, 35.94722Coordinates: 34°16′59″N 35°56′50″E / 34.28306, 35.94722
Elevation	664 m (2,178 ft)

The Monastery of Qozhaya (Arabic: دير مار أنطونيوس قزحيا ) is located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية |||} Lebanon is divided into six Governorates ( Muhafazah) listed with their capitals in parentheses Beirut ( Beirut North Governorate (الشمال transliterated: ash- Shamal) is one of the Governorates of Lebanon. The governorates of Lebanon are divided into 25 Districts ( Aqdya, singular Qadaa) Zgharta District (زغرتا is a District ( Qadaa) of the North Governorate, Lebanon. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Zgharta District (زغرتا is a District ( Qadaa) of the North Governorate, Lebanon. North Governorate (الشمال transliterated: ash- Shamal) is one of the Governorates of Lebanon. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية It belongs to the Lebanese Maronite Order, known as Baladites. Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac The Lebanese Maronite Order (known also as Baladites or Valadites) is a monk order among the Levantine Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning

Geography

It is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great. Saint Anthony the Great (c 251–356 also known as Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, It is commonly called Qozhaya, in reference to the valley in which it is located. The valley of Qozhaya, along with the valley of Qannoubine ( قنوبين )to which it is connected to the west, form what is called the valley of Qadisha . The Kadisha Valley (also known as Qadisha Valley, Wadi Qadisha Ouadi Qadisha or وادي قاديشا in Arabic) lies within the Becharre and

Etymology

The etymology of the name Qozhaya varies according to scholars. However, in the recent years, the Syriac origin was commonly adopted and gives the approximate meaning of the treasure of life. See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language

History

Qozhaya is considered to be one of the oldest monasteries of the valley of Qadisha. The Kadisha Valley (also known as Qadisha Valley, Wadi Qadisha Ouadi Qadisha or وادي قاديشا in Arabic) lies within the Becharre and Several hermitages are attached to it and at a certain period (probably the 12th Century AD), it has been the See of the Maronite Patriarch. Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac This is a list of the Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch, who have led the Maronite Catholic Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, in full communion with the In 1584, the first printing press of the Middle East was installed in this monastery. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

In 1708, it was handed down to the newly-formed Lebanese Maronite Order. It still belongs to this important Order. Qozhaya was at its pinnacle in the first part of the 19th Century with more than 300 monks belonging to it.

With its large properties in the valley, in Ain-Baqra and in Jedaydeh, Qozhaya is one of the richest monasteries of the Order. It contributes financially to the maintenance of the less fortunate monasteries of the Order.

What to see

• The Grotto of Saint Anthony the Great
• The Church
• The Museum
• The Library
• The Hermitage of Mar Boula

External links

(English) The official site of the Monastery of Qozhaya