Smar Jbeil

Geography

Etymology and names

Smar could be of Aramaic origin: Shemreho which means the guardian or the protector; Jbeil being the nearby coastal famous city. Given its strategic location on an open hillside, the village and its fort could have served as an advanced position for the defense of Jbeil from its northern side.

Others refer the name to the Phoenician roots: Sym meaning Tomb'and Mar meaning lord. In this case, the village could have served as a burial ground for the kings of Jbeil (which is the oldest Phoenician city located at 20 km at the southwest of Smar Jbeil).

History

Smar Jbeil is one of the oldest villages in Lebanon according to Fr. Henri Lammens in his book Tasrih Al Absar fi Ma Yahtawi Loubnan min al Athar. It has a very old castle at the western entrance of the village built on a strategic hill, showing from its western side, the Mediterranean coast from Jbeil to Tripoli, and from its eastern side the mountains of Lebanon specially the famous Cedars of God mountain near Bsharri. The origin of the castle could be Phoenician.

The Romans

The Roman troops conquered the village from its northern side under the leadership of Pompey the Great, probably during his Eastern campaign in 63 BC. Up till today, we can see some Roman statues in the castle as well as a Roman theater with its circular architecture.

The Maronites

The Maronites and their army (the Maradites), came to Smar Jbeil as a refuge place after centuries of persecution by Byzantines in Syria. They took control of the castle where they installed their Patriarch. The first Patriarch Saint John Maron (685 A.C.) lived in Smar Jbeil castle before moving to Kfarhay.

The Arabs and Crusades

The Arabs invaded the village after the crushing of the Byzantine Empire in the 9th century and controlled the village until the crusaders attacked them from the Mediterranean Sea. The crusaders demolished the old castle and built a new one called “Chateau Fort” (Strong Castle) because of its strategic location. They built a new Church on the south eastern side of the castle. In addition, they remodeled the old church of Saint Nohra (From Aramaic Nuhro meaning the light), which was itself built on the ruins of an old Roman temple. They added some Roman style construction to the church. The church still have a Crusader Cross on its western entrance. After the Crusades, the village entered under the Mamluks rule in the 13th century.

The Mamluks and the Ottomans

The Mamluks were defeated in 1516 AC by the Ottomans. The Ottomans under the Sultan Selim I invaded the region and built a mosque on the eastern side of the castle. The village recovered its Maronite identity in the next century and the mosque was turned into a residence place.

The Castle

The Castle was built in the center of the village, on a hill showing the entire neighborhood. Most of the historians recognize that the castle was built by the Phoenicians, and was under the Persian Empire control in 555 B.C. It passed to the hands of Alexander of Macedon's (the Great) in 331 B.C. In the Middle Ages, the Maronites and their army the Maradaites took the castle as a refuge and it was the See of the First Maronite Catholic Patriarch Saint John Maron before he moved to Kfarhay. The Mardaites counterattacked their enemies from Smar Jbeil and they won the battle in Amyoun (30 km north) while defending their Patriarch.

The Castle had a main tower showing the entire Mediterranean coast from Jounieh to Tripoli. In his book Tarikh Al Azminah, the Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy (1670–1704) explains how the main castle tower was demolished:

Sunday, November 25th 1630, at 3:00AM a huge earthquake hit the castle and demolished the center tower from its four corners. It demolished also all what was in the lower basement.

The castle has many wells built in the rocks. It has also many tunnels connecting the castle to the neighboring valleys.

Churches

The old church of Saint Bassil and Nohra stands in the center of the village. It is constructed of mixed elements from a Roman temple and some later material, notably from medieval times. The church was renovated over the history first by the Crusades and after by the Maronites. The last renovation was done in the late 1800 where a rock chain was added to the main entrance. Saint Nohra is a priest form Manhour in Egypt who came to preach in Batroun in the early centuries of Christianity. When he reached the city, he was asked by its king to deny Jesus Christ; he refused immediately and kept preaching in Jesus Christ in the entire city. He was captured (by the king), killed and buried in one of the castle’s wells. The well became since then, a shrine for all Christian believers. Saint Nohra is known as the intercessor of sight, he had a named Takla (different from Saint Takla) and a brother named Qanoon.

Close to Saint Nohra, an old little ruined chapel with a single nave could be seen, Our Lady of Gifts church. It is believed that this church is older than Saint Nohra’s church.

Less than 500m from Saint Bassil and Nohra church you find Saint Takla church which is smaller yet very old church venerated by the parish until our days. .

Patriarchs

Smar Jbeil is the homeland of three Maronite Partriarchs Michael Rizzi (1567–1581), Sarkis Rizzi (1581–1596) and Joseph Rizzi (1596–1608). They were born in Bkoufa and they were known as Al-Samrani’s in relation to Smar Jbeil, their homeland and origins. Under Patriarch Michael Rizzi, the monastery of Saint Anthony the Great in Qozhaya (From Aramaic: the living Treasure) knew a revival, and later in 1610 the same monastery received the first printing press in the Middle East printing in Aramaic language.

Families

Smar Jbeil is known to be the origin of the Bassil family. Most of the families in the village are related somehow to the Bassil family it represents 85 to 90% of the residents. The Jemayel family came to Smar Jbeil in the 1880s from Bekfaya, after the Mount Lebanon tragic events at that time. The Fares family came to Smar Jbeil in the 1930s from Ram.