Saint Louis Des Capucins

Saint Louis des Capucins
The Cathedral shown within Beirut
Basic information
Location	Beirut, Lebanon
Geographic coordinates	33°53′52″N 35°30′10″E / 33.897911°N 35.502690°E / 33.897911; 35.502690Coordinates: 33°53′52″N 35°30′10″E / 33.897911°N 35.502690°E / 33.897911; 35.502690
Affiliation	Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
Year consecrated	1868
Status	active
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Edmond Clément Marie Louis Duthoit
Architectural style	Romanesque
Direction of façade	East
Groundbreaking	1864
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, marble, limestone

The Saint Louis Capuchin Church is a Latin Catholic church in downtown Beirut, located to the north of the Grand Serail and Council of Reconstruction and Development. Built in 1864 by the Capuchin missionaries and named it in the honor of King Louis IX of France. The church is highly noticeable for its sand-stone facades, rose-colored wooden windows, and its new towering campanile.^[1][2]

History

Saint Louis cathedral in 1910

The Capuchins arrived in Beirut in 1628 and did not have a place of worship of their own therefore they used to practice their rites in the old Saint George church where the current Maronite cathedral stands in Downtown Beirut. In 1732, the Capucins built their first church in Beirut near the current site of Riad Solh Square dedicated to Saint Louis IX King of France.

In 1868, they moved to the Bab Edris area and inaugurated the current cathedral also dedicated to Saint Louis. The new cathedral was used for official celebrations at the time of the French Mandate of Lebanon. The congregation was the only Latin parish in Beirut, it was successively managed by the Italian Capuchins (1868-1903), then by the French Capuchins (1903-1952) and currently by the Capuchin Vice Province of the Middle East.

The cathedral was raided in December 1975 and was the scene of fierce fighting between warring factions during the Lebanese civil war. Saint Louis and the adjacent convent were looted and burned and a Lebanese friar, brother Ferdinand Abu Jaoudé, was killed on site. After the end of the hostilities, Saint Louis was the first downtown Beirut landmark to be restored and reopened to the public in 2002.^[1][3]

References