Kaftoun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (November 2006) |
Kaftoun كفتون |
|
Administration | |
---|---|
Country | Lebanon |
Governorate | North Governorate |
District | Koura District |
The Village of Kaftoun (Arabic: كفتون ) is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Nahr el Jaouz (Walnut River), in the Koura District, North Lebanon. The houses of Kaftoun number seventy-four. Its inhabitants number about three hundred. They are mostly Antiochian Orthodox Christians. The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient Aramaic language means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff. In the ancient Syriac language (Kftuna) it means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village of Kaftoun was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.
Kaftoun has three historic churches: Saint Phokas Church (Mar Foka's), the Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus (Mar Sarkis) 6th century, and the most famed Theotokos Monastery, which houses a two-sided Byzantine icon from the 11th century.