Balamand Monastery

The Balamand Monastery, originally known to Crusaders as Belmont (“beautiful mountain”), was founded in 1157 by French Cistercian monks in the Crusader County of Tripoli (modern-day northern Lebanon). Constructed between 1157 and 1169, the abbey flourished for over a century. However, occasional hermitic presence persisted in the late 15th century, as suggested by Syriac–Arabic manuscripts from around 1492. In 1603, Greek Orthodox monks, led by Youwakim, metropolitan of Tripoli, and with support from local Muslim officials, officially restored the monastery. By 1610, it had been re‑endowed as a waqf and repopulated by a dozen monks, replanting vineyards, olive groves, and livestock. ==See also==