The Balamand Monastery (historically called Belmont, Bellimontis ultra Mare, or Bellus-Mons), is a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
for the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...
founded in 1157 in Balamand (Belmont), the Crusader
County of Tripoli
The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, Druze ...
, now in the
Koura District
Koura District ( ar, ٱلْكُورَة, from gr, χώρα, lit=country) is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon.
Koura is one of the 26 districts of Lebanon, particularly known for its olive tree cultivation and olive oil production. ...
, in Northern Lebanon. It was originally started by
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monks and maintained as such until the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
conquest in 1289, then reestablished as monastery by Greek Orthodox monks in 1610, after a poorly documented period of three centuries.
On the grounds of the monastery has been established the
University of Balamand
The University of Balamand (UOB; ar, جامعة البلمند) is a private institution, secular in its policies and approach to education. It welcomes faculty, students, and staff from all faiths and national or ethnic origins. The university i ...
, founded by the
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
Ignatius IV of Antioch Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
Religious
* Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop
* Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...
in 1988, though the university claims to be secular and a distinct institution.
History
Local legend in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
reports that when
Bohemond VII of Antioch
Bohemond VII (1261 – October 19, 1287) was the County of Tripoli, count of Tripoli and nominal prince of Antioch from 1275 to his death. The only part left of the once great Principality of Antioch was the port of Latakia. He spent much of his re ...
escaped
Latakia
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, elevation_m = 11
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, postal_code =
, area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41
, geocode ...
after it was taken by
Qalawun
( ar, قلاوون الصالحي, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Bahri Mamluk sultan; he ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1290.
He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious").
Biography and rise to power
Qalawun was a Kipchak, ancient Turki ...
in 1287, he hid in the village of
Toula, Batroun
Toula (Arabic: تولا ) is a village in Batroun District, North Governorate, Lebanon, 15 km far from Batroun
Batroun ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرُون '; Syriac script: ܒܬܪܘܢ ') is a coastal city in northern Lebanon and one of the olde ...
, in the Northern
Lebanese mountains. Legend has it that he lived there for a while, and produced offspring, from which the
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
,
Conte
Conte may refer to:
* Conte (literature), a literary genre
* Conte (surname)
* Conté, a drawing medium
* Conte, Jura, town in France
* Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world
* Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...
,
Zeeni and
Aboujaoude families claim descent. The Balamand Monastery in Batroun is reputed a gift of the Prince's family, and now hosts the major
University of Balamand
The University of Balamand (UOB; ar, جامعة البلمند) is a private institution, secular in its policies and approach to education. It welcomes faculty, students, and staff from all faiths and national or ethnic origins. The university i ...
, Balamand being a local adaptation of Bohemond.
See also
*
Balamand declaration
''Uniatism, method of union of the past, and the present search for full communion'', also known as the Balamand declaration and the Balamand document, is a 1993 report written by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Betwee ...
References
* Louis J. Lekai: ''The Cistercians: Ideals and Reality'', Kent State University Press, 1977. .
External links
Official pageOfficial page
Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Lebanon
Greek Orthodox monasteries
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
1157 establishments in Asia
Cistercian monasteries
County of Tripoli
Religious organizations established in the 1150s
Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
1150s in the Crusader states
{{Orthodox-church-stub