Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle
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Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa | |
|---|---|
| Syriac Orthodox Church | |
| Incumbent: Yostinos Paulos Safar | |
| Style | Archbishop His Eminence |
The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church.[1] The incumbent metropolitan of Zahle and Bekaa is Mor Yostinos Paulos Safar.[2]
Syriac Orthodox Christians took refuge at Zahle after the Hamidian massacres in 1895–1896 and the Sayfo.[3] The Church of Mar Jirjis (Saint George) at Zahle was consecrated in 1925.[4] Zahle was made part of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and Damascus in 1933.[5] A school was added to the Church of Saint George at Zahle in 1934.[6] St Ephraim's Seminary at Zahle began construction in 1934 and was opened on 29 March 1939.[7] It was moved to Mosul in Iraq in 1946.[7] St Ephraim's Seminary was returned to Zahle in 1962 by Patriarch Ignatius Yaq'ub III and remained until it was moved again to Atshanneh in 1968.[8] The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa was created in 1970.[5] It was united with the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut in 1980.[5] The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa was re-established in 1998.[9] There were 2 clergy at Zahle by 2005.[10] The Church of Saint Mary at Zahle was heavily damaged by a bomb on 27 March 2011.[11]
Ecclesiastical properties
The following ecclesiastical properties belong to the archdiocese:
- Church of Saint George, Zahle
- Church of Saint Mary, Zahle
