The arrival of religious figures at the Church of Our Lady of Joy. Photo provided by our correspondent.
The Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Joy and its icon museum were inaugurated on Monday in Zahle, in the Bekaa region, with official and religious figures in attendance. This event comes after nearly six years of construction, which sparked controversy due to the building's grand scale amidst Lebanon's economic crisis, worsening since 2019, with a large portion of the population living in poverty.
Located at Dhour al-Alb, near the hills of the statue of Our Lady of Zahle, the church was built by Bishop Niphon Saikali, a native of the town and representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch in Moscow.
The consecration prayer was led by Metropolitan Antonios al-Souri, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Zahle, Baalbeck, and their Antiochian Orthodox dependents. Also present were the representative of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Antonio Volokolamsk; the head of the Maronite Church, Patriarch Bechara Rai; Bishop Saikali; and a significant gathering of religious personalities, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa.
Crowned with an onion-shaped dome topped with a sky-reaching cross, the church caused controversy on X in July 2024 during its final construction phase. Some online users criticized the cost of the building amidst an economic crisis, while others supported the project.
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab, representatives of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, and former presidents Amine Gemayel and Michel Sleiman were also present, among others.
The basement of the building houses an icon museum. Saikali claims to own a collection of 130 religious paintings gifted by followers throughout his liturgical career. "I obtained permission from the Russian Minister of Culture to take them out of Russia," he told L'Orient-Le Jour last July.
Customary speeches praised the brotherly relations between the church of Russia and the people of Zahle.
