Name of Monument:

Lady of Harissa

Location:

Harissa, Keserwan, Lebanon

Date of Monument:

1908

History:

The Our Lady of Lebanon statue was built at the end of the 19th century and inaugurated in 1908. A small chapel occupies the base of the chapel, and a huge Maronite cathedral built of concrete and glass in a modern style stands beside the statue. Being a pilgrimage site, the statue has received many important visitors, such as Pope John Paul II in May 1997 and Pope Benedict XVI in September 2012.

Description:

Harissa is a mountain village in Lebanon. Located 650 metres above sea level, it is home to an important pilgrimage site, the Our Lady of Lebanon statue, which attracts both pilgrims and tourists who want to enjoy the view of Jounieh bay. The statue, which is made of 15 tons of bronze painted white, shows the Virgin Mary with her arms out-stretched. The village itself is 20km north of Beirut, and accessible from the coastal city of Jounieh either by road or by cable car.

Citation of this web page:

Hady El Hajj, Jennifer Harb, Cynthia Karaki "Lady of Harissa" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;lb;30;en

Prepared by: Hady El Hajj, Jennifer Harb, Cynthia Karaki
Copyedited by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: LB 033