Hermits, not of the crab variety

[I've adapted the following from a description near the site itself.  Just to be clear, I claim credit for absolutely none of this entry.  Except the photo, I cannot blame that mediocrity on anyone else.]

History and discoveries in Mar Bichay hermitage

The hermitage of Saint Bichay is built inside a hanging rock cavity in the northern mountain overlooking the valley of Qozhaya.  This hermitage is one of the oldest cult buildings in this valley.  It is likely to have been the seat of the first bishopric of the Maronite Church in 1215.  In the 17th century, it was the seat of the bishop Hanna al-Habquoq.  Around 1714, the chapel of St. John was cut in the rock and added to the hermitage compex.  In the mid 19th century the hermitage was abandoned and the stairs fell apart.  The hermitage architecture was compromised until 2003, endangering the stability of the whole building.  In 2004, the hermitage was restored and rehabilitated through a donation from the Embassy of the United States of American in Lebanon through The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation allocated by the former Ambassador Mr. Vincent Battle.  During the rehabilitation work some important discoveries were made: wall inscriptions in Arabic and syriac languages; wall paintings in different places around the altar of St. Bichay; painted glass fragments with Arabic inscriptions from the eighth to fourteenth centuries.

Several hermits and well known personalities of the Maronite Church lived in the hermitage of St. Bichay as the patriarchs: Mikhael ar-Rizzi, Sarkis al-Bqoufani (ar-Rizzi), and Youssef ar-Rizzi.

Next up: my hike to Wadi Qannoubine, too much hospitality in Fradis, and my night in a convent.