Deir al-kamar

During the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, Deir al-Qamar was the capital and residence of the governors of Lebanon. It was the first village in Lebanon, where a municipality appeared in 1864, and many famous personalities such as artists, writers and politicians were born. Deir al-Kamar is the main shelter of the Druze in the winter, and Baaklin is the city in which they lived in the summer.

Deir al-Kamar is known as the capital of the emirs . People of different faiths lived in the city, and a mosque, a synagogue and Christian churches stood in the city.

In 1860, Deir al-Kamar was destroyed during the civil war between the Druze and the Christians . Napoleon III sent a contingent of the French to the city to restore Deir el-Camar.

In 1864, Deir el-Kamar elected the first municipality in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire .

The census conducted by the Ottomans during the reign of Korkmaz bin Ma'an, father of Fahr al-Din II , totaled 156 people in Deir al-Kamar, and all of them were Druze. Today, 85% of the inhabitants of Deir al-Kamar are Maronites , and 14% are Melkites .

One of the most important historical and religious places in Deir al-Kamar is the Church of Our Lady of the Mountain, known to us as Saydet el-Tall. This Maronite Catholic Church has its roots in the 15th century.

The legend says:

“Once upon a time, the Druze emir stayed in Baaklin, and, looking at the elevation of Deir al-Kamar, he saw a light coming out of the hill. He gathered his soldiers and ordered them to go up the hill in the morning, saying: “If you find the Islamic symbol on the hill, then build a mosque there, and if you find the Christian symbol on the hill, build a church there.” The soldiers went to the hill in the morning, began to dig the earth and found a stone on which there was a cross, and under the cross were the Moon and Venus. It was a sign that a long time ago there was a temple dedicated to the Moon and Venus, and then became a church. Earthquakes and wars have caused it to disappear. ”

The stone discovered by the soldiers is located under the old gate of the church. The Byzantine column is inside the church. Residents venerate the miraculous icon of Our Lady of the Mountain, located behind the altar. It was written in 1867 by the Italian artist Guerra. Thousands of believers come to the Feast of Our Lady of the Mountain (the first Sunday of August) and go with a wonderful icon to the entrance to the church near Deir al-Kamar.

Another important religious place in Deir al-Kamar is the Fortress, where pilgrims visit the temple of the Lamb of God (it was built in 2007), the church of Father Jakub (restored and consecrated as a church on June 24, 2008) and the Cross (built about. Yakuba in 1932).

Deir al-Kamar also had a well-developed Jewish community and a synagogue (built in 1638), which today is the venue for the French Cultural Center.