Our Lady of the Annunciation for Melkite Convent
The convent
was established in 1730, upon the demand of several female worshippers from
Aleppo who wanted to establish a convent in Lebanon in the Keserwan region
near the Dominican fathers, not far from the Lazarist fathers' convent in
Aintoura.
The Deacon "Al Zakher" helped those worshipers and their religious guide Father
Peter Fromage (a Jesuit) to buy a piece of land from a notable Maronite Sheikh
Moussa El Khazen.
They gathered money to buy the land from Aleppo notables and families donations,
and in 1734 started the construction of the convent.
In 1737, ten worshipper-girls moved to the convent in Lebanon from Aleppo.
After
hallowing the convent on the name of Our Lady of Annunciation, problems started
when it came to the foundation of the monastic religious life.
Worshipers
wanted to follow the Salasian rules and ordinance they learned from the Jesuit
fathers, but the Choueirit fathers wanted them to follow oriental rituals
and rules of the Choueirit monastic order.Problems continued with Lazarist
and Choueirit fathers who had many differences and led Lazarist fathers to
convince the sisters to follow the rules of Saint Augustine and Saint Salasius
and allowed them to eat meat and change their robe during the rest time.
Following that decision, the Archbishop Athanasius forbade the sisters to
follow these rules. This led them to be divided between those who obeyed the
decision of the Archbishop, and those who refused it.
The Holy Council of 1739 solved the disagreement and decided that the sisters
should abide by the rules of Saint Augustine and the ordinance of Saint Francis
Salasius until a new ordinance was set. The sisters agreed on that decision
and considered it as a triumph for them. On
January 3rd, 1746, the Holy Council declared the final rules by which the
sisters should abide. In 1751, the number of sisters increased from 10 to
25.
The church was built with the convent in 1737 and enlarged later in order to receive a larger number of worshipers and visitors.It has a gallery at the same level of the first floor, where the elder sisters can assist the Mass without having to climb the stairs. Nowadays, the convent receives many sisters as well as worshipers who desire to consecrate their lives to God.
A new building was constructed for the Order's administration and a part of the building for the beginners.
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Outside
View
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Monastry
Entrance
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Icon
of Holy Mary
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Church
Inside View
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The
Altar
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Inside
View
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The
Extended Part of the Church
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Old
Monastry Building
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New
Monastry Building
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Monastry
Building for beginners
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