Shrine of Our Lady of the Cedars, Maronite Catholic shrine in Woodmead, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Shrine of Our Lady of the Cedars is a religious center in Woodmead featuring architectural elements inspired by Lebanon. The building displays design characteristics that reflect the sacred tradition of the region.
The shrine was founded in the 1990s and marked the growth of a Maronite Catholic community in the Johannesburg region. Its establishment reflected the arrival of a larger Lebanese population in South Africa.
The shrine is a replica of the original Lebanese shrine of Our Lady of the Cedars, and locals call it "Our Lady of the Highway" because it stands near the busy Pretoria–Johannesburg motorway. It belongs to the Maronite Catholic Church and is attached to the Church of Our Lady of the Cedars of Mount Lebanon in Woodmead, Sandton.
The shrine stands on the grounds of the Our Lady of the Cedars Church in Woodmead, Sandton, close to the busy Pretoria–Johannesburg highway, so it is reached by road rather than on foot from central Johannesburg. Because it is an active Maronite Catholic place of worship, time a visit outside the services held for the congregation.
Construction began in November 1992 under the Reverend Elie Madi, and the shrine was consecrated during a visit by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir Peter. Because the original statue was too small for the structure, plans for a new statue were approved in 1998 by Father Tabet, the superior.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,909 contributors worldwide.