The Cross of All Nations is a monumental cross located in Qanat Bakish, a locality close to the Lebanese town of

Baskinta Baskinta ( ar, بسكنتا) is a Lebanese village situated at an altitude ranging from 1250 metres above sea level and climbs up to approximately 1800 meters of height at Qanat Bakish, making it one of the highest villages of Lebanon. It is loca ...

. The cross was built near a church dating back to 1898 on a land belonging to the Lebanese Maronite Order. At tall, the Cross of All Nations is the largest illuminated

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

in the world, it was inaugurated on September 13, 2010 on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It was built by the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, 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. Th ...

and an organization of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Catholics 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 ...

the "Association Terre de Dieu" led by the brothers Jesus and Francois Ibanez..

Context

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross commemorates the discovery of the Cross of Christ by St. Helen, the mother of Roman emperor Constantine, on September 14, 326. In Lebanon the feast is celebrated each year in Christian towns and cities with crowded processions during which people carry torches and visit mountain tops where they plant crosses, hold prayer services and start

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

Description

The cross is tall (one tenth the height of mount Golgotha) and wide. The cross's deep base contains 500 cubic meters of concrete and 5 tons of steel, the cross's body itself is made up of 170 tons of steel and is lit by 1800 spotlights. Work on the monument started on 25 November 2008 and was done on 27 June 2010 and cost around 1.5 million USD mainly acquired through donations. The cross is equipped with one ladder that allow visitors to access a platform located at its vertical beam.

References

External links

Association Terre de Dieu
{{Maronite Church Maronite Church in Lebanon Monuments and memorials in Lebanon Religious buildings and structures in Lebanon Monumental crosses 2010 establishments in Lebanon