The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bechouat (French: ''Sanctuaire de Notre-Dame de Béchouate''), also spelled Beshouat or Beshwat, is a Marian shrine in the village of

Bechouat Bechouat (also Beshouat) ( ar, بشوات) is a Lebanon, Lebanese village in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. The village is famous for the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bechouat, a Marian shrine and the site of Christians, Christian pilgrimage. Divi ...

in the Beqaa Valley of

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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

In 1741, a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

wooden icon of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

was discovered in one of the deep caves. A church was built above the cave, and since then, it has become a place of pilgrimage.

The Miracles of Our Lady of Bechouat

Divine

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

s have been reported and attributed to Our Lady of Bechouat. Thousands of worshippers have visited the sanctuary where they march from the village of

to the old church where the blue and white statue of the

stands. The statue, a replica of the one at Our Lady of Pontmain in France, was erected a century ago.Centre Catholique d'Information
/ref> Some worshippers spend the nights humbly praying or in meditation at the church door. One of the miracles attributed to Our Lady of Bechouat happened to a Lebanese man, Tony Sukkar, 37, who resided in New York. Sukkar suffered from a chronic disease, which paralyzed his upper body completely. Upon a visit to his native

, Mr. Sukkar visited the old church where he prayed to be healed. Soon after, he was healed and able to move his upper body. Sukkar constructed a statue of the Virgin Mary in his home town of

Deir el Ahmar Deir El Ahmar ( ar, دير الأحمر) is a Lebanese town, located 100 km from Beirut and 22 km northwest of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Demography and religion The population of Deir el Ahmar is approximately 23,000. Th ...

in honor of Our Lady of Bechouat. Both Lebanese and foreigners, Christian and Muslim worshipers have experienced divine miracles at Our Lady of Bechouat. One happened to a young child of Muslim parents from Jordan. Mohammed Naef Al-Awwad Al-Hawadi was ten years old when he accompanied his parents on a pilgrimage to the old church. The child saw the Virgin Mary's statue blink. Worshippers who spent the night at the church said they also saw the eyes, hands and rosary of the Virgin Mary's statue move. In 1871, a similar occurrence had been reported at Our Lady of Pontmain in France.

References

Shrines to the Virgin Mary Eastern Catholic shrines Titles of Mary Maronite Church in Lebanon Maronite church buildings in Lebanon Statues of the Virgin Mary Roman Catholic shrines in Lebanon Baalbek District {{Lebanon-Maronite-church-stub