Bkerké (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: بْكِرْكِي) is the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

of the

Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch The Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch () is the seat of the Patriarch of the Maronite Church. It is currently governed by the List of Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch, Patriarch Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, Mar ...

of the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronit ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, located 650 m above the bay of

Jounieh Jounieh (, or ''Juniya'', ) is a coastal city in Keserwan District, about north of Beirut, Lebanon. Since 2017, it has been the capital of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate. Jounieh is known for its seaside resorts and bustling nightlife, as well as it ...

, northeast of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, in Lebanon. Though now exclusively used by the church, the area was owned by the noble

Khazen Khazen (also El-Khazen, Al-Khazen, Khazin or De Khazen; ) is a prominent Arab Levantine family and clan based in Keserwan District, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Nablus, Palestine (region), Palestine, as well as other districts around the Levant, predo ...

family. The clergy use it under a special ''

waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...

''.

History

Ottoman tax records indicate Bkerké (called Bikarkiyya) had 15 Christian households and five bachelors in 1523, 20 Christian households in 1530, and 12 Christian households and four bachelors in 1543. The earliest building on the Bkerké site was a monastery constructed in 1703 by Khattar al-Khazen. In 1730, Antonine monks began using the monastery. In 1750, Bishop Germanus Saqar and the nun Hindiyya al-'Ujaimi used it for the Sacred Heart of Jesus religious order. Finally, in 1779, it came into use by the Maronite church, and in 1830 it became the winter residence of the Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch. The present red roofed structure was built in 1893 during the time of Patriarch John Peter El Hajj. It was designed by Leonard al-Azari. Since its creation around 858 AD, the see of the

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

Catholic Patriarchate has never been in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

. Instead, it was originally in Kfarhay in the Batroun mountains, and then continued to move to various locations in the

Byblos Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...

mountains for the next 500 years, such as Yanouh, Mayfouq, Lehfed, Habeel, Kfifan, al-Kafr, and Hardeen. It then moved to Qannoubine in the Kadisha Valley because of intensified persecution and remained there from 1440 to 1823 when it moved to Dimane and lastly, in 1830, to Bkerké. Today, Maronite Patriarchs use Dimane as a summer residence and Bkerké as a winter one. The monastery was renovated in 1970 by Patriarch Paul Peter Meouchi. Patriarch Anthony Peter Khoraish added the external gate in 1982, and in 1995 Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir built a new wing to house the archives and serve as a museum. He also established tombs for the patriarchs and decorated the church with ornate windows. An old book references a convent, called Kourket, that was likely in this same area, if not on the same site. According to these (likely sensationalized) stories, the convent, founded around 1755, had high death rates, blamed on the air of the region. In 1775, a traveler, who spent the night outside the convent walls, observes a body being secretively buried and tells the local ruler. He sends a contingent of horsemen to gain access to the convent, where they discover "abominations which make the hair stand on end". The founder of the convent, Hendia, had "destroyed her nuns, sometimes to get their property into her hands, at other times, because they showed themselves refractory to her orders...". After this discovery, she was jailed and escaped from multiple convents.

References

Bibliography

External links

BkerkeHistory Of BkerkeBkerke Court Documents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bkerke Populated places in Keserwan District Maronite Church in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon 1703 establishments in the Ottoman Empire