The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The incumbent metropolitan of Zahle and Bekaa is Mor Yostinos Paulos Safar.
Syriac Orthodox Christians took refuge at Zahle after the Hamidian massacres in 1895âÂÂ1896 and the Sayfo. The Church of Mar Jirjis (Saint George) at Zahle was consecrated in 1925. Zahle was made part of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and Damascus in 1933. A school was added to the Church of Saint George at Zahle in 1934. St Ephraim's Seminary at Zahle began construction in 1934 and was opened on 29 March 1939. It was moved to Mosul in Iraq in 1946. St Ephraim's Seminary was returned to Zahle in 1962 by Patriarch Ignatius Yaq'ub III and remained until it was moved again to Atshanneh in 1968. The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa was created in 1970. It was united with the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut in 1980. The Patriarchal Vicariate of Zahle and Bekaa was re-established in 1998. There were 2 clergy at Zahle by 2005. The Church of Saint Mary at Zahle was heavily damaged by a bomb on 27 March 2011.
The following ecclesiastical properties belong to the archdiocese:
The following is a list of incumbents of the see:
Citations