The Maronite art:
A tree which its roots are planted in the first church,
A trunk of Syriac inheritance,
Branches of Catholic culture,
Fruits of Lebanese habits…
In its three aspects, form (architecture), sound (music) and color (religious art and icons), this art travels through centuries visiting people and places adding richness to its history.
A – The form (architecture)
The architecture of the Maronite churches is subject to a simple structure which is divided into three groups:
1. Churches formed of a rectangular nave joined by a semi circular apse where the altar is located.
2. Churches of the same type as the first group with a facade called narthex (portico which is at the main entrance).
3. Churches that have two naves, the first ends in a barrel vault and the second in a cross vault.
B- The sound (music)
Syriac hymnology was born in Edessa with St Ephrem of Edessa 306AD to 373AD. It continues to multiply until it reaches 150 forms and is classified into fivegroups (Father Miled Tarabay’s research):
1. The Syro-Maronite chant.
2. Arabic Syro-Maronite chant.
3. Improvised melodies.
4. The foreign melodies.
5. Personal melodies.
C- The color (religious art and icons)
This aspect includes two parts:
1- The syriac part:
It tells us the story of the Son of God who lived on earth in the form of icons. They are preserved in the Syriac manuscripts and the apocryphal Gospel of Rabbulla. They were resurrected and reintegrated into our churches after the discovery of Our Lady of Ilige icon in 1980AD.
2- The catholic part:
We have incorporated and venerated in our churches all forms of religious art of Latin and Catholic influence, in the form of sculpture, paintings and bas-reliefs.
