MONASTERY
Our Lady of Nourieh Monastery
Hamat · Greek Orthodox
A brief history
Our Lady of Nourieh is a Marian shrine and monastery at Hamat, on the coast north of Byblos. Nourieh derives from the Arabic nour, meaning light, so the shrine is known in English as Our Lady of Light. Tradition holds that two sailors founded it in thanksgiving after being saved at sea.
An interesting detail
The monastery sits on a cliff above the sea, which is why sailors rather than villagers are remembered as its founders.