Harissa, Lebanon
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| Harissa (حريصا) | |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Mount Lebanon Governorate |
| District | Keserwan District |
| Geography | |
  Harissa
Location of Harissa, Lebanon
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| Elevation | 600 - 700 m |
Harissa (Arabic حريصا) is an important Lebanese pilgrimage site high above Jounieh, located at 650 meters altitude from the coast and 20km distance from Beirut the capital city; the site is accessible either by a steep winding road or a nine-minute journey by a gondola lift, known as the "Téléférique". It attracts both pilgrims as other tourists who want to enjoy views of Jounieh.
The main site is a huge 15 tonne bronze (and painted white) statue of Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of Lebanon or Notre Dame du Liban/Harissa or Our Virgin of Lebanon, with her arms outstretched. The statue was made at the end of the 19th century and inaugurated in 1908. Inside the statue's base there is a small chapel. A huge modernistic Maronite cathedral built of concrete and glass stands right beside the statue.
Among other churches of various denominations it is worth to mention a Byzantine-style, Greek Catholic basilica of St. Paul, located south of the statue and built between 1947 and 1962. The Papal Embassy as well as the residences of four Eastern Rite cardinals of the Roman Catholic church are in the vicinity of Harissa and Our Lady of Lebanon.[1]
On May 10, 1997, Pope John Paul II visited Harissa.
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