Our Lady of Bechouat

Marian vocation of Bechouat (Lebanon)

According to the local traditionin the year 1741 a ancient statue of Byzantine style wood of the Virgin Mary in a cave in the area of Bechouat, in the mountain that dominates the village. A first church, the origin of the present sanctuary, would have been erected on this cave, which soon became a place of prayer and pilgrimage for the Christians of the region. This tradition is part of the devotional memory of the people, but the details of the finding belong to the field of popular piety, without detailed historical documentation.

Main data

Origin and history

According to the local traditionin the year 1741 a ancient statue of Byzantine style wood of the Virgin Mary in a cave in the area of Bechouat, in the mountain that dominates the village. A first church, the origin of the present sanctuary, would have been erected on this cave, which soon became a place of prayer and pilgrimage for the Christians of the region. This tradition is part of the devotional memory of the people, but the details of the finding belong to the field of popular piety, without detailed historical documentation.

As for the documented history, it is known that the sanctuary has been, since at least the 19th century, a focus of Marian devotion within the Maronite rite. In the early 20th century the temple suffered a fire, which motivated the arrival of a new Marian image, replica of Our Lady of Pontmain, commissioned by a Jesuit priest and transferred to the sanctuary by 1904-1905, according to tradition collected by various devotional sources. Throughout the 20th century the place was consolidated as a pilgrimage site for Christians from different Eastern Churches and also for Muslims, especially from the testimonies of healing and protection in contexts of war and violence.

During Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), several popular accounts attribute to Our Lady of Bechouat protective interventions in the face of armed attacks, including apparitions perceived by combatants of opposite sides and unexpected atmospheric phenomena that would have prevented massacres; these facts are considered miracles by many devotees, but they belong to the field of testimony and not of strict historical observation. The spread of these stories increased the fame of the sanctuary throughout Lebanon.

The image and the sanctuary

The currently venerated image of Our Lady of Bechouat is, according to the sources, a replica of Our Lady of Pontmain, French advocation linked to the Marian apparition of 1871 in Pontmain. This is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary standingwith his hands together in a prayer attitude, dressed in a robe and mantle, following the iconographic model of Pontmain; carried out hacia 1880 and then moved to Bechouat on the charge of a Jesuit priest, after the fire of the temple. The original Byzantine-style wooden statue discovered in 1741 is considered the remote origin of the cult, but the image currently exposed to the cult is the above-mentioned replica; it is not clear whether the Byzantine statue is currently preserved.

The place of worship is known as Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bechouat and rises on the cave where, according to tradition, the old image was found. The sanctuary belongs to the Maronite Churchin the diocese of the Bekaa Valley, and is a pilgrimage centre for the faithful from all over the country. The building is a relatively simple, modern and functional church with the enclosure of the cave attached or included in the whole, where pilgrims pray and leave exvotes, photographs and objects in thanks for the favors received. It does not know that the temple has been elevated to the range of minor basilica ni que sea oficialmente National sanctuaryIt is, in fact, recognized as a Marian sanctuary of strong local and regional irradiation within the Maronite rite.

Sponsorship and coronation

The sources consulted do not mention a Official patronage (city, diocese or nation) canonically proclaimed for Our Lady of Bechouat; it is rather a sanctuary of devotion extended in the region, especially among Christians in the surroundings of Bechouat and the Bekaa Valley, without a legal title as the principal patron of an ecclesiastical constituency. On the popular level, the Virgin of Bechouat is venerated as a protector of the village and of the pilgrims who come from all over Lebanon.

On a canonical coronation of the image (i.e. an official act of the Church, on behalf of the Pope, by which the image is crowned liturgically), in the available sources there is no reliable reference to a date, decree or coronation ceremony approved by the Holy See. Therefore, does not contain a documented canonical coronation of Our Lady of Bechouat.

Party and devotion

The specific sources on the Bechouat shrine do not clearly indicate a official fecha de fiesta litúrgica propia for this advocation other than the usual Marian holidays of the Maronite calendar. In Lebanon, more generally, all the Churches honor the Virgin at the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon (Harissa) on the first Sunday of May, but this celebration refers to Harissa's national invocation, not specifically Bechouat. For Our Lady of Bechouat, devotion is concentrated mainly in the strong times (especially May, Mary's month, and the main Marian parties) and in pilgrimages throughout the year, rather than in one documented self-solemnity.

La inflow of pilgrims It is remarkable: thousands of devotees come to the sanctuary from the very town of Bechouat, from other regions of Lebanon and even from the Lebanese diaspora. The presence of musulmaneswho venerate Mary (Maryam) as the mother of the prophet Isa and approach the place for comfort, healing or protection. A very widespread custom is that of watch in prayer at night by the doors of the temple or in the surroundings of the cave, praying, meditating and presenting personal intentions. The testimonies of physical healing, family reconciliation and release in situations of dangerwhich the faithful attribute to the intercession of the Virgin of Bechouat; these facts are expressed through exvotes, crutches, photographs and written accounts that cover the walls of the sanctuary.

In popular devotion the character of "Our Lady of Peace and Protection"especially following the episodes of the civil war, which makes Bechouat a place of meeting and even of some reconciliation between communities.

Link to the Rosary

The specific sources about Our Lady of Bechouat do not describe a particular bond, historical or legal of this advocation with the prayer of Rosary (for example, an official rosarian fellowship, promises linked to the Rosary or a name of its own linked to the Rosary). There is, therefore, no unique formal relationship comparable to that of other explicitly "of the Rosary."

However, the devotional practice, el Rosary It is an essential part of the Marian piety of the Lebanese people and naturally accompanies the life of the Shrine of Bechouat. Pilgrims, both Maronite Christians and other rites, often resort to the prayer of the Rosary in night vigil, in processions and in personal prayer before the image, following a tradition rooted in Lebanon where the Rosary is perceived as a prayer of intercession and protection in times of trial.

In this way, even if there is no sworn bond