The Church in Mouhaidseh

Historic background of the Parish

The village of Mouhaidseh was first heard of between the years of 1516 and 1520 A.D. upon the arrival of a group of immigrants coming from northern Lebanon's town of Douma (Batroun district), this group was made up entirely by the Maalouf family and headed by their priest Peter the son of Hajj John the son of Maalouf - the first priest in the village of Mouhaidseh. A bright testimony for this history is found in the manuscript of the book of Triodion¹ currently archived in the Vatican library stored under the calling number: "Syriac manuscript number 333", hand written in Syriac in 1525 and containing the following note in its appendix: "written for the order of the priest, Father Peter the son of Hajj John the son of Maalouf from the town of Douma and resident of Mouhaidseh." 

This indicates then that the above-mentioned priest did immigrate with a large group of Douma's Maaloufs to settle in Mouhaidseh between the years of 1516 and 1520 A.D. the date of the founding of this parish. Also we can easily guess that the liturgical language of the Orthodox of Mouhaidseh in that epoch was the Syriac. Another guess can also be made about the parish's church, which most likely was the church of the monastery of St. Elias - Shwaya (which was called up until 1814 A.D. the monastery of St. Elias - Mouhaidseh). 

In 1587 a group of Klink family from Mouhaidseh (originally descendents from the Maalouf's) collaborated with their cousins the family of Gemayel from the town of Bikfaya and built a single building holding two altars in Bikfaya, one in the north-east side called after the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos for the Orthodox, and the second in the south-east side called after St. Abda for the Maronite Gemayels. 

In 1632, the Mouhaidseh's Orthodox completed establishing their own church, which they dedicated also to the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. And in 1648, they were blessed by a visit from the trice-blessed memory Patriarch Macarius III of Antioch, where he celebrated the first Sunday of St. Luke. 

In 1805, the church building was renovated and enlarged. The actual wooden Iconostasis with the majority of its Icons, goes back to that epoch and was hand carved by the master craft Michael Sobh in the 5th of February, 1810. 

In the year 1900, through the efforts of its parishioners both residents and immigrants guided by their priest Gabriel Ofeïsh and under the supervision of the trice-blessed memory Bishop Gabriel Shatila the metropolitan of Beirut and Lebanon, the church was demolished and was remodeled, enlarged and rebuilt taking its actual form. The project was awarded to the contractor George Hajj Korban from the town of Shoueir with a total sum of 25,000 cents. The building soon after was raised up fulfilling the preparation for the "lamp to be put on the lamp-stand to give light to all who are in the house" (Matt 5: 15). 

May the Lord abound in His mercies upon all the ancestors who worked hard in founding this parish and may He keep strengthening all those who walk today in the same path guided by the Spirit, through the intercessions of our most Holy Lady Theotokos the intercessor and protector of this parish with all the Saints, Amen. 

Father Melhem, 
Pastor of the parish of Mouhaidseh. 

Antiochian Style (1813 A.D.)