More from NOCTOC on Orthodoxy in Lebanon

The visually beautiful, bilingual Cypriot blog NOCTOC often posts pictures and information about churches in Syria and Lebanon. Below is an index of the most recent posts about Orthodoxy there. Lots of pictures, so go take a look! Older posts from NOCTOC can be found here.

The lost descendants of Hellenism: The Antiochian Greeks

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George in Beirut

Αμιούν: Το κέντρο των ελληνορθοδόξων χριστιανών του Λιβάνου

Anfeh: Α little Greece in Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox church of Our Lady of the Wind in the town of Anfeh, North Lebanon

Christians of Tyre (Sour) of Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the village of Bkeftine, Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox Christians of El- Mina in Tripoli, Lebanon, and their churches

The Greek Orthodox cathedral of Saint George in Tripoli, Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox church of Saint George in Batroun, Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox church of Our Lady of the Seas in the city of Batroun, Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox village of Gabriel in the district of Akkar in Northern Lebanon

Islamic terrorists attack the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saydnaya in Syria

 

Murr TV Visits Lebanese Monasteries

So, even if you can't understand Lebanese, this episode of a travel show on Murr TV (owned by a politically prominent Orthodox family) is worth looking at. It goes north along coastal highway and visits several Orthodox churches and monasteries. Visually it gives exactly the feeling of a Saturday afternoon drive in the summer up the coast... the soundtrack, however, is left me alternately giggling and wincing... actually, it's the worst soundtrack ever. But don't let that scare you off!


11 minutes in is the absolutely gorgeous Dayr el-Nouriyyeh, one of my favorite views in Lebanon....

Around 26 minutes is the new, fancy, Church of St. Nicholas which is quite beautifully frescoed. Though they don't show it ,I think this is the church that has a fresco of the Last Judgment to the back with a car being driven out of Tripoli and into the jaws of Hell.... Like just about everywhere in the Orthodox world, the unfortunate aesthetic choices of the 18th and 19th centuries are avoided in newer churches and monasteries in favor of the neo-Byzantine style, often enough done by Romanians...

Around minute 29 is Hamatoura.... interestingly, the monks there did not have a blessing to talk in front of the camera, though the cameras were allowed lots of access to the monks' daily life and they were allowed to narrate off-camera...

Around minute 55 is Dayr Natour, which is built almost on top of the water.

So if you've never been to Lebanon or want to have a bit of a nostalgic trip, this video is very pleasant...

Watch it here.