Saint George Maronite Cathedral, Maronite cathedral in Downtown Beirut, Lebanon

Saint George Maronite Cathedral is a basilica-plan church in downtown Beirut, built 1884–1894 to a Neoclassical design by Italian architect Giuseppe Maggiore. Its nave and two side aisles are divided by two rows of columns, with a coffered gilded ceiling, stucco and marble walls, and a four-column canopy over the main altar. A 72-metre campanile was inaugurated in 2016.

Construction started in 1884 using Roman columns taken from the temple of Deir El Qalaa in Beit Mery, and the structure was consecrated on Palm Sunday in 1894. These Roman elements tie the building directly to the ancient history of the region.

The cathedral keeps the cathedra of the Maronite Archbishop of Beirut and the chair Pope John Paul II used during his 1997 visit to Lebanon. During the civil war it was looted, and a painting of Saint George by Eugène Delacroix was taken and later recovered. The campanile, finished in 2016, was deliberately kept to 72 metres, level with the minarets of the neighbouring Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.

The cathedral is on El Amir Bachir Street next to the Mohammad Al-Amine Mosque and is open to visitors throughout the week. Religious services happen regularly, so plan your visit around the schedule of worship.

Excavations beneath the cathedral uncovered sections of a Roman colonnaded street and an Ottoman wall. These archaeological discoveries reveal how many historical layers lie hidden under this modern religious structure.