Population
- Catholics (as of 2010)
20,000 Rite Byzantine Rite | Parishes 7 Country Lebanon | |
Denomination Melkite Greek Catholic Church Established 18 November 1964 (52 years ago) Cathedral Saint Barbara Cathedral | ||
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Baalbek (in Latin: Archeparchia Heliopolitana Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the Catholic Church immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites. It is currently governed by Archbishop Elias Rahal.
Contents
Territory and statistics
The archeparchy includes the northern part of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Its Archeparchial seat is the city of Baalbek, where is the Saint Barbara Cathedral. In 2012 there were 20,000 baptized and its territory is divided into seven parishes.
History
Baalbek is an ancient seat, already known in the fourth century by the name of Heliopolis of Phoenicia, has a presence of Catholic Bishops from 1701, when its bishop sent to Rome a profession of the Catholic faith, still preserved in the archives of Propaganda Fide. Dependent from the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus in 1849 acquires its autonomy.
The cathedral with the bishop's palace were built during the episcopate of Germanos Mouakkad; the church was consecrated by Eparch Agapitos Malouf in 1897. Bishop Germanos Mouakkad was the founder of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Paul.
On November 18, 1964 this eparchy was elevated to the rank of archeparchy.
In 1997 was celebrated the centenary of the dedication of the cathedral and the nineteenth centenary of the arrival of the first bishop of Baalbek / Heliopolis.