Christianity has a long and continuous history in Lebanon. Biblical scriptures show that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, leading to the dawn of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. As such, Christianity in Lebanon is as old as the Christian faith itself. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of living under Muslim empires, Christianity remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.

The Maronites and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the nineteenth century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. Lebanon has the second highest proportion of Christians of any Middle Eastern country (after Cyprus), estimated to be between 37% and 43%; Egypt and Syria are next, at roughly 10%. Lebanese Christians constitute the majority of the Lebanese diaspora worldwide.

History

Before the Christian faith reached the territory of Lebanon, Jesus had traveled to its southern parts near Tyre where the scripture tells that he cured a possessed Canaanite child.Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. (Mark 7:24–26 NIV) Christianity in Lebanon is as old as gentile Christian faith itself. Early reports relate the possibility that Saint Peter himself was the one who evangelized the Phoenicians whom he affiliated to the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Paul also preached in Lebanon, having lingered with the early Christians in Tyre and Sidon. Even though Christianity was introduced to Lebanon after the first century AD, its spread was very slow, particularly in the mountainous areas where paganism was still unyielding.

The earliest indisputable tradition of Christianity in Lebanon can be traced back to Saint Maron in the 4th century AD, being of Greek/Eastern/Antiochian Orthodox origin and the founder of national and ecclesiastical Maronitism. Saint Maron adopted an ascetic and reclusive life on the banks of the Orontes river in the vicinity of Homs–Syria and founded a community of monks which began to preach the gospel in the surrounding areas. By faith, liturgy, rite, religious books and heritage, the Maronites were of Eastern origin. The Saint Maron Monastery was too close to Antioch to grant the monks their freedom and autonomy, which prompted Saint John Maron, the first Maronite patriarch-elect, to lead his monks into the Lebanese mountains to escape emperor Justinian II's persecution, finally settling in the Qadisha valley. Nevertheless, the influence of the Maronite establishment spread throughout the Lebanese mountains and became a considerable feudal force. The existence of the Maronites was largely ignored by the western world until the Crusades. In the 16th century, the Maronite Church adopted the catechism of the Catholic Church and reaffirmed its relationship with it. Moreover, Rome dispatched Franciscan, Dominican and later Jesuit missionaries to Lebanon to Latinise the Maronites.

The relationship between the Druze and Christians has been characterized by harmony and peaceful coexistence, with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.

Due to their turbulent history, the Maronites formed a secluded identity in the mountains and valleys of Lebanon, led by the Maronite patriarch who voiced his opinion on contemporary issues. They identify themselves as a unique community whose religion and culture is distinct from the predominantly Muslim Arab world. The Maronites played a major part in the definition of and the creation of the state of Lebanon. The modern state of Greater Lebanon was established by France in 1920 after the instigation of ambitious Maronite leaders headed by patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek, who presided over delegations to France following World War I and requested the re-establishment of the entity of the Principality of Lebanon (1515AD–1840AD). With the creation of the state of Lebanon, Arabism was overcome by Lebanism, which emphasizes Lebanon's Mediterranean and Phoenician heritage. In the National Pact, an unwritten gentleman's agreement between the Maronite President Bshara el-Khoury and Sunni prime minister Riad as-Solh, the seats of presidency were distributed between the main Lebanese religious denominations. According to the pact, the President of the Lebanese republic shall always be a Maronite. Furthermore, the pact also states that Lebanon is a state with an "Arab face" (not an Arab identity).

Demographics

In 2014, according to *وقائع إنتخابية عن لبنان، حسب لوائح الناخبين الرسمية الصادرة عن وزارة الداخلية اللبنانية لسنة ٢٠١٤*, Christians made up 36.66% of registered voters aged 21 and above: 19.97% Maronites, 7.69% Orthodox, 5.01% Melkites and 4.22% other Christian minorities. In 2022, based on the registered voters aged 21+ for the elections, Christian represented 37.46%: 19.94% Maronites, 7.82% Orthodox, 5.26% Melkite and 4.75% other Christian minorities. The overall proportions remained very stable between 2014 and 2022, with only slight increases in all groups.

Year Christians Total Maronites Orthodox Melkites Other Christians 2014 2022

Year Christians Total Maronites Orthodox Melkites Other Christians 2014 1 299 175 701 920 270 180 167 736 159 348 2022 1 510 305 797 174 312 725 210 541 189 872 Growth +211 130 +95 254 +42 545 +42 805 +30 526 % growth 13.97% 11.95% 13.60% 20.33% 16.01%

Note that the following percentages are estimates only. As the last Lebanese census was conducted in 1932, it is difficult to have precise population estimates.

+ Distribution of Lebanese Christians by governoratesGovernorates of Lebanon 20142022 Mount Lebanon Governorate 366 393 407 889 North Governorate 252 609 280 909 Beirut Governorate 168 412 215 150 Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate 148 766 160 950 Beqaa Governorate 124 195 142 572 South Governorate 83 430 100 919 Akkar Governorate 70 947 80 786 Nabatieh Governorate 44 046 60 112 Baalbek-Hermel Governorate 40 377 52 366 Total Lebanese Christian population 1 299 175 1 497 935

+ Repartition of Lebanese Maronite Christians in LebanonGovernorates of Lebanon 20142022 Mount Lebanon Governorate 212 997 236 918 North Governorate 170 514 186 987 Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate 128 802 139 804 South Governorate 47 869 55 768 Beqaa Governorate 38 321 45 040 Akkar Governorate 29 537 33 271 Beirut Governorate 28 534 40 275 Nabatieh Governorate 23 355 31 440 Baalbek-Hermel Governorate 21 991 27 671 Total Lebanese Maronite population 701 920 797 174

+ Repartition of Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians in LebanonGovernorates of Lebanon 20142022 North Governorate 70 784 81 338 Mount Lebanon Governorate 60 465 72 342 Beirut Governorate 45 843 46 908 Akkar Governorate 36 798 41 244 Beqaa Governorate 31 578 34 941 Nabatieh Governorate 10 441 17 542 Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate 7 887 7 734 South Governorate 3 588 5 827 Baalbek-Hermel Governorate 2 796 4 939 Total Lebanese Orthodox population 270 180 312 725

+ Repartition of Lebanese Melkite Christians in LebanonGovernorates of Lebanon 20142022 Mount Lebanon Governorate 45 547 48 861 Beqaa Governorate 40 457 46 463 South Governorate 27 942 34 542 Beirut Governorate 25 434 32 289 Baalbek-Hermel Governorate 15 070 18 563 Nabatieh Governorate 8 068 11 024 Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate 6 774 6 430 North Governorate 6 040 7 627 Akkar Governorate 3 341 4 742 Total Lebanese Melkite population 167 736 210 541

+ Repartition of Other Christians in LebanonGovernorates of Lebanon 20142022 Beirut Governorate 68 601 92 040 Mount Lebanon Governorate 47 384 52 862 Beqaa Governorate 13 839 19 222 Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate 5 303 6 982 North Governorate 5 271 8 062 South Governorate 4 031 4 782 Nabatieh Governorate 2 182 3 200 Akkar Governorate 1 271 1 529 Baalbek-Hermel Governorate 520 1 193 Total Lebanese other Christian population 159 348 189 872

Lebanon has the highest proportion of Christians of any country in the Middle East, but exact size of this population has been disputed for many years. One estimate of the Christian share of Lebanon's population, as of 2012, was 40.5%. And more recently, in 2018 the CIA World Factbook estimated that Christians constituted 33.7% of Lebanon's population.

Half of the Lebanese Christians, around a million, dwell in districts where they constitute the majority (75-95%): Matn (governorate of Mount Lebanon), Byblos and Kesrwan (governorate of Keserwan-Jbeil), Batroun, Bsharri, Koura and Zgharta (in the North governorate). These districts form a strip with Beirut in the South, Tripoli in the North, the Mediterranean sea in the West, and the Mount Lebanon range in the East. The district of Jezzine forms a pocket with a Christian majority in the South governorate. Christians constitute important minorities in the districts of Baadba, Aley and Chouf (Mount Lebanon governorate), Zahle (Beqaa), and Beirut.

The Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Catholic Church, is the largest and politically most active and influential denomination of Lebanon's Christians. The Catholic Church also includes other Eastern Catholic churches, such as the Melkite Catholic Church. The Greek Orthodox Church forms the second-largest proportion of Lebanese Christians. The Armenian Apostolic Church also forms a large portion of the Christian population in Lebanon.

The other six smaller Christian sects are considered ethnic Assyrians (Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholics).

In the Lebanese Parliament, Christians hold 64 seats in tandem with 64 seats for Lebanese Muslims. The Maronites are allotted 34 seats, the Eastern Orthodox 14, Melkites eight, the Armenians Apostolics five, Catholic Armenians one, Protestants one, and other Christian minority groups, one.

Churches and monasteries in Lebanon

The head of the Maronite Church is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, who is elected by the bishops of the Maronite church and now resides in Bkerké, north of Beirut (but in the northern town of Dimane during the summer months). The current Patriarch (from 2011) is Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. When a new patriarch is elected and enthroned, he requests ecclesiastic communion from the Pope, thus maintaining communion within the Catholic Church. Patriarchs may also be accorded the status of cardinals, in the rank of cardinal-bishops.

The Seat of the Maronite Catholic Church is in Bkerké. Monasteries in Lebanon are run by both the Maronite and Orthodox churches. The Holy Monastery of Saint George in Deir El Harf and Saint John the Baptist Monastery in Douma both date back to the 5th century. The Balamand Monastery in Tripoli is a very prominent Orthodox monastery that has a seminary and a university associated with it.

According to the Directory of Churches in Lebanon, the country is home to more than 2,000 churches spread across all governorates. These churches serve a wide range of Christian communities and stand as enduring symbols of Lebanon's rich religious heritage. The directory documents thousands of places of worship and provides historical information on many of the nation's most significant churches, monasteries, shrines, and Christian landmarks.

Role in politics