Our Lady of Mantara, Marian shrine in Maghdouché, Lebanon.
Our Lady of Mantara is a shrine on a hilltop in Maghdouché with a modern tower and a bronze statue of the Virgin and Child positioned next to an ancient sacred cave. The grotto sits beneath the newer structure and forms the spiritual core of this pilgrimage site.
A shepherd discovered the hidden grotto on September 8, 1721, when one of his goats fell through an opening in the ground. This discovery sparked the beginning of veneration at the site and led to the construction of the shrine that followed.
The site layers different faiths across time: worshippers once honored the Phoenician goddess Astarte here, then the Virgin Mary emerged during Byzantine times as the focus of devotion. Those who visit today pray in a space that carries this long history of reverence.
The site welcomes visitors throughout the year, with particularly large crowds during the Nativity of Mary celebration on September 8. Allow time for the climb to the shrine on the hilltop, and be aware that it can become crowded during peak pilgrimage periods.
Local tradition holds that the Virgin Mary waited at this location while Jesus visited the cities of Tyre and Sidon. This local belief connects the shrine to a particular moment in the region's biblical history.
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