Yanouh Archaeological Site

Located northeast of Beirut at an altitude of 110 m between two mountain villages and Qartaba Aqoura is Yanouh, which in Aramaic means an oasis of peace and tranquility. This ancient archaeological village has been through many civilizations such as the Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Maronite periods. Today, temples in this area that were turned into two churches are called Saint George Blue and Our Lady of Yanouh. 

The Church of Saint George Blue dates from the Byzantine era and named so due to its bluish color stones. It contains a cross of two horns and four arms, the oldest and most widespread in northern Syria formed during the early Christian era. This cross was in reference to the doctrine of the dual nature of Christ, divine and human, or two virtues, the word or the Holy Spirit, or the two powers, the archangel Michael and Gabriel, who accompany the souls of the dead.

In the Our Lady of Yanouh Church, the Maronite patriarchs, between the 10th and 13th centuries, before and under the Crusaders, took the temples, in the Yanouh area, and used the stones to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This church has porticoes, which are porches with a roof supported by columns leading to the entrance of a building, and it is decorated with crosses and engravings.