« Saint-Antoine de Kozhaya, the miracle cave
At the entrance of the Qadisha Valley, this monastery was founded in the fourth century by Saint Hilarion. The seat of the Maronite patriarchate in the 12th century, its Syriac name means « the treasures of life ».
Its church occupies a natural cave. In 1610, the Psautier de Qozhaya was printed, the first well-known book printed with moving characters throughout the Ottoman Levant. And at the entrance of the monastery, suspended chains recall an ancient tradition: that of the sick of the spirit that was brought there, in the hope of healing after a night of prayer.
As a place of pilgrimage, Kozhaya remains one of the spiritual hearts of the Holy Valley of Qadisha, classified at UNESCO since 1998.
Qadisha Valley, Lebanon
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