THE ROLE OF THE PATRIARCHAL SEAT OF BZOUMMAR AT THE SERVICE OF LEBANON  

 
 
"The history of the Convent of Bzoummar identifies itself with certain chapters of the history of 'Lebanon' "declared the future President of the Lebanese Republic, Mr. Charles HELOU on the occasion of the Bicentennial of the Convent of Bzoummar, in 1949.  
The Lebanese Mountain had adopted Mgr. Ardzivian, this  man full of faith and courage, as well as his Patriarchate. Relations, since the beginning, full of cordiality and kindliness between Maronites and Armenians, had pushed the Patriarch Jacques Rouad to grant them the right to construct a convent at Kreim in 1720; the Patriarch Joseph El-Khazen welcomed Mgr. Ardzivian home for some time after h was rescued from he island of Rouad. He had forbidden all priests of other oriental communities to hear confessions of the maronites faithful but "this prohibition, did not concern, he wrote, our dear brother Abraham and his priests. They all have power to confess, to celebrate the Holy Mysteries and to preach everywhere they want in our churches" (P. Raphaël, Op. cit. p. 37). The utmost of Reciprocal confidence, Mgr. Ardzivian would attend sessions of the Lebanese Council  in 1736 and will sign its Acts.    

Mgr. Ardzivian in his turn interceded with Rome beside the Prefect of the Propaganda to push the request of Father Arsène Abd el-Ahad, Superior General of the Lebanese Religious  who came to Rome to ask for financial aid in favor of his Order who were in debt. The Armenian Prelate named him Knight of the Church, using the privilege granted him quite lately by the Holy Father.   

This Armenian Community adopted with love by Lebanon, did not stop rendering the same treatment. The three Armenian convents were as many centers of help at the service of peoples of Lebanon.  

The high esteem that emir Béchir the Great had towards this Armenian Convent, made him consider Mgr. Jacques Holassian, General Vicar of the Patriarch and Gregoire-Pierre Vl, as one of the pillars of his government; whom he kept often at his home. Mgr. Jacques was at the same time the confessor of Hussni Gihane, the emir's wife, in whom he trusted in teaching her religious instruction and conversion to Christianism.   

During the darkest days of his political career, the emir Béchir donated in that same convent his riches. He died in exile and the Armenians buried him in their church in St. Sauveur in Constantinople, from where he was transferred to Beiteddine in 1946.   
    
These good relations heightened the prestige of this Convent and imposed the respect towards all Armenian names: honest people and devoted to the cause of Lebanon. Such were as well the first and the last of the "Moutaçarrif" or governors of the Lebanon: all two Armenians Catholics, Garabet Artine Daoud Pacha (1861-1868) and Ohannès Kouyoumdjian Pacha (1912-1915) worked for the interest of Lebanon, defending them against their hierarchical chiefs of Constantinople. But before assuming their new office, these, two valorous Armenians came to consult their Fathers of Bzoummar, of whom the secular cohabitation had proven to be useful for the guidance of this country, object of  internal disputes.  

These Fathers, while keeping their national physiognomy, had served Lebanon in the social, moral and cultural domains.   


This Patriarchal Institute provided a generation devoted to Lebanon; it inculcated this same spirit to all students that passed by Bzoummar, of whom we will mention only Rizcalla Hassoun (1823-1880) one of the great names of  Lebanese journalism and one of its pioneers. Father Antoun Khandji (member of the institute of Bzommar) published in Arabic "Tarikh el-Ermen" (History  of Armenia), edited in Jerusalem in 1868. Another member of the institute, Father Sikias published in Beirut  Matboukh el-Ermen (Armenian Chronicles ) for the greatest glory of reciprocal understanding.   
  
Today, these centers of devotion at the service of Lebanon increased, thanks to the presence of 250.000 Lebanese Armenians, thanks also to the religious chiefs of these Communities established at Antélias, that came to shoulder the work of the Fathers of Bzoummar, enterprise at the service of Lebanon since two centuries. 
 
 

 
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