Monastery of St. Maron (St. Charbel, Annaya)

The Story

The Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, set 1,200 meters up in the mountains above Byblos in Lebanon, is the home and resting place of St. Charbel Makhlouf (1828-1898), the Maronite monk and hermit whose tomb has become one of the great pilgrimage destinations of the Christian East. Born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in the mountain village of Bekaa Kafra, he entered the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1851, taking the name Charbel after an early martyr. Ordained a priest in 1859, he lived the common life at Annaya for years before receiving permission in 1875 to withdraw to the monastery's hermitage of Sts. Peter and Paul. There he spent twenty-three years in silence, manual work, and prayer centered on the Eucharist, until he was stricken while celebrating the Divine Liturgy and died on Christmas Eve, 1898. According to the traditional account, mysterious lights were seen over his grave in the weeks after his burial, and his body was reportedly found intact when the tomb was opened. Reports of healings attributed to his intercession multiplied through the twentieth century and continue today, drawing letters to the monastery from around the world. Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1965, at the close of the Second Vatican Council, and canonized by the same pope on October 9, 1977. His tomb, now housed by the church of St. Charbel adjoining the old monastery, draws pilgrims of many faiths - Christians and Muslims alike - seeking healing and peace. In December 2025, Pope Leo XIV knelt in prayer at the saint's tomb during his visit to Lebanon, underscoring Annaya's place in the universal Church. The hermitage where the saint lived his final years may also be visited on the hill above.

Church Recognition

St. Charbel Makhlouf was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1965 and canonized by him on October 9, 1977; his feast is kept on July 24 on the General Roman Calendar, and his tomb at Annaya is a fully sanctioned pilgrimage shrine of the Maronite Catholic Church.

Catholic Teaching

St. Charbel's life bears witness to the value of monastic and eremitical consecration (CCC 918-921), and the healings reported at his tomb are received by the faithful as signs of the communion of saints and God's grace working through his intercession (CCC 956).

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Practical

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The Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya draws pilgrims of many faiths to the tomb of St. Charbel.

Go Deeper

The monastery's official website (https://saintcharbel.com) offers the saint's biography, the novena, and pilgrimage details; see also the Catechism on the eremitic life (CCC 920-921) and Paul VI's canonization homily of October 9, 1977.