Harisa Vacations, Harisa Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Harisa Vacation Guide

This is the site where a statue of the Virgin Mary stands looking out protectively to Beirut above Jounieh bay. She is called Our Lady of Lebanon. She weights over 7 tons and was purchased from the French.

Behind her is a the cathedral Notre Dome du Liban that the guide said was in the shape of a cedar tree, but the guide books says looks like a bird in flight. There are various other churches around the area. The statue and the cathedral were erected at the end of the 19th century as a sign to the much persecuted Lebanese Christians. They were emigrating from Lebanon to Brazil in large numbers and Lebanon wanted to slow the exodus.

Today 20% of the Brazilian parliament is made up of ethnic Lebanese