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The
sudden dramatic height of Mount
Lebanon gives Beit Mery, at 800
meters, spectacular views of the
Beirut peninsula and large sections of
the coast.
This is a popular resort with
good restaurants, entertainment and
hotels ready to receive visitors.
The town is also the scene of
an annual winter cultural festival
that features international drama and
dance groups as well as orchestras and
chamber ensembles.In
the center of town, a sign-posted road
to the right leads to the Maronite Monastery
of
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At the top are
the ruins of a Roman temple to the
important local god Baal Marqod
which has a church built on part of
its foundations.
The church, dedicated to Saint
John the Baptist was constructed in
1750 and has apparently been rebuilt a
number of times since then.
The inscription above the main
door bears the date 1768, the year the
church was first built.
The old church is incorporated
into the present early 20th
century structure.
The temple itself, probably dating to
the first century AD, has masonry
intact up to three meters.
Three of the six columns are
still standing, although not at their
original height.
A short walk down the hill leads to
the site of a small second century AD
temple to the goddess Juno.
A monumental doorway still
stands amid a jumble of ancient
stones, some with Latin inscriptions.
This door-way was probably the
start of a processional path between
the two temples.
Below the Juno temple is an extensive
area of scattered ruins. Of particular
note is the mosaic floor of a 6th
century Byzantine church with one of
the reused temple columns in place.
Nearby is a remarkably well
preserved public bath.
In one of its rooms it is
possible to observe the heating system
through a hole broken in the floor.
The hypocaust tiles, used to
conduct heat, are all in place.
Once a Roman-Byzantine settlement, the
entire site is littered with remains
of more temples, a second bath and a
colonnaded street.
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Major
Cities - Beit Mery
