CHURCH BUILDING
Our Lady of Zahle
Zahlé · Melkite Greek Catholic
A brief history
In 1958 Bishop Euthym decided to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary on a hill known as Tel Chiha, overlooking Zahlé and the Beqaa Valley. A bronze statue ten metres high, by the Italian artist Pierroti, stands on a tower of 54 metres. Work was delayed for years by the Lebanese civil war, and a grand inauguration followed the completion of restoration in May 2005.
An interesting detail
The statue is reached by climbing inside the tower that carries it, which doubles as the shrine itself.