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(90 km from
Beirut) - Old Cistercian Monastery
Built by the monastic order of the Cistercians during the Crusader period in the 12th and
13th centuries, this monastery has been under the authority of the Orthodox Church since
the early 17th century.
The arrangement of structures around the cloister's courtyard is characteristic of a Cistercian
monastery plan. Both the church of Our Lady of Balamand with its unique bell tower, and the present entrance to the monastery, originally the
refectory, were built in the 12th century.
In the 13th century the Cistercians constructed the Great Hall of the Monks that today serves as an attractive concert venue. The Chapter
House, also built in the 13th century, was reconstructed sometime after 1604 by the Orthodox monks, who found that most of its vaults had collapsed after the fall of the County of Tripoli in
1289. The structure was made into a church dedicated to Saint George between the 17th and the 19th centuries.
The monastery possesses many manuscripts and beautiful icons, some painted by masters
from the region. The altar screen of the Church of Our Lady of Balamand, probably dating to
the end of the 17th century, was carefully restored in 1994.
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