Bkerke
Bkerke ( Arabic بكركي) is a monastery in the Lebanese city of Jounieh , around ten kilometers north of the capital Beirut . Bkerke is the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and the entire Orient and the winter residence of the Patriarch , i.e. the center of the Maronite Church , the largest Christian group in Lebanon.
The monastery was built in 1703 and taken over by the Antonite Order in 1730 . From 1750 it belonged to the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus . In 1779 it was given to the Maronite Church, which declared it a residence in 1786. In 1890 the building complex was rebuilt and expanded by the architect and brother of the Lazarist, Leonhard. Minor renovations followed in 1970 and 1982. In 1995, additional buildings for the patriarchate archive and an exhibition were built, as well as a cemetery as the burial place for the Maronite patriarchs.
Near the monastery (around two kilometers north) is the well-known pilgrimage church of Harissa (Notre Dame du Liban) .
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Coordinates: 33 ° 58 ′ 4 " N , 35 ° 38 ′ 2" E