Country Lebanon Sui iuris church Maronite | Parishes 66 | |
 | ||
Metropolitan Immediately subject to the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch Population
- Catholics (as of 2012)
70,000 (n/a%) Rite West Syro-Antiochene Rite | ||
Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Batroun (in Latin: Eparchia Botryensis Maronitarum) is an eparchy of the Maronite Church located in Batroun, Lebanon. In 2012 there were 70,000 baptized. It is currently governed by Eparch Mounir Khairallah.
Contents
Territory and statistics
The diocese has its seat in Batroun, in the North Governorate, where is located the Saint Stephen Cathedral. In 2012 there were 70,000 Maronite Catholics and its territory was divided into 66 parishes.
History
The eparchy, which includes Catholic bishops since the seventeenth century, in 1678 was united to the eparchy of Jbeil. It was canonically erected by the Maronite Synod of Mount Lebanon in 1736. In 1848 it became an eparchy of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. On June 9, 1990 it was separated from the eparchy of Jbeil and united to Joubbé and Sarba (today Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Joubbé, Sarba and Jounieh).
The last division took place on June 5, 1999, when the Eparchy of Batroun became an independent ecclesiastical structure. From this date it is not governated by Maronite patriarch.