Jeremiah II al-Amshitti ( ar, ارميا العمشيتي; died 1230), born Abdallah Khairallah Obeid (عبدالله خيرالله عبيد), was the 32nd

Maronite Patriarch of Antioch This is a list of the Maronite patriarchs of Antioch and all the East, the Primate (bishop), primate of the Maronite Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Starting with Paul Peter Massad in 1854, after becoming patriarch of the Maronite Ca ...

from 1199. He was known for the miracle of the levitation of the host during a Mass he celebrated in Rome on the occasion of his participation in the

Fourth Council of the Lateran The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bi ...

. He was born in

Amsheet Amsheet (, '; also spelled Amchit) is a seaside town and municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, about 40 km north of Beirut. The town's average elevation is 140 meters above sea level and its total land ...

, a village near

Byblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 880 ...

, the ancient Phoenician city. Very pious since his young age, he lived in a hermitage in his village, in a cell near the Saint-Zakhia church (then known as "the Holy Zakhia churches" because they were three small churches, very old, dating to the fifth century). His brothers helped in the development of these hermitages. After a period in the hermitage in his hometown, he went to another hermitage, Mayfouk, to the convent of Our Lady Of Ilige. The Maronite tradition has a custom of choosing patriarchs from among hermits. He was elected patriarch 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 current head of the Maro ...

, following the death of Patriarch Peter IV (بطرس الرابع). Amshitti chose for the first patriarchal seat, Yanouh (يانوح). Known for his devotion, he was invited to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

to participate in the IV Council of the Lateran. The Patriarch Jeremiah Amshitti was working to consolidate the Maronite faith in union with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He spent five years in Rome, from the Pope he received the pallium, a sign of unity with Rome, and he participated in the Fourth Council of the Lateran on 11 November 1215. Al-Amshitti was Maronite Patriarch until 1230, when he died at Mayfouk.kobayat.org/data/maronites/patriarchs.htm
/ref> During his stay in Rome and during a celebration of the Eucharist in the presence of Pope Innocent III, at

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

, a light came out of the host and the host remained elevated after the patriarch had dropped his hands.

Estephan El Douaihy Estephan El Douaihy ( ar, اسطفانوس الثاني بطرس الدويهي / ALA-LC: ''Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī''; french: Étienne Douaihi; la, Stephanus Dovaihi; it, Stefano El Douaihy; August 2, 1630 – May 3, 1704) ...

, great historian and Maronite Patriarch, writes about this event in his history of the Maronite patriarchs (سلسلة البطاركة الموارنة) and says that the Pope ordered that this scene be represented on the walls of St. Peter's Basilica.

Bibliography

* Lahoud, Adib; Al Dawha al Amchitiya, 1954, Dar El Tibaa wal Nasher, Rue des Cèdres, Saifi, Beyrouth.

References

{{authority control 1230 deaths Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch Lebanese Maronites People from Amsheet 12th-century archbishops 13th-century archbishops