Patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Prophet Ilya Shoya

The Patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Prophet Ilya Shoya is located near the small mountain town of Duhur al-Shuweir, 30 kilometers from Beirut and is one of the most visited places by Orthodox pilgrims in Lebanon.

Presumably, the monastery arose at the beginning of the XVII century. It originally consisted of a small church and six cells built on top of a mountain. Over the years of its existence, the monastery was repeatedly rebuilt, the last large-scale reconstruction was carried out in 1997. A new building was built over the old cells, courtyards were equipped, and the walls of the monastery were decorated with ornament.

The monastery houses a valuable collection of icons and manuscripts. Special attention should be paid to the carved nut iconostasis in the monastery church.

Now the monastery of the Holy Prophet Ilya Shoya is one of the residences of the Patriarch of Antioch.