Territorial administration of Lebanon | Lebanon | North Lebanon Governorate | Batroun District

Hardine - Beit Kessab

9 November 2007 - last updated : 29 July 2015

Hardine - Beit Kessab (حردين - بيت كسّاب) is a Lebanese local authority which is located in Batroun District (Qada'a), an administrative division of North Lebanon Governorate (Mohafazah). The municipality is member of Federation of Mantaket Batroun Municipalities.

Location

Distance from Beirut	Altitude (meters)	Surface (ha)
80	1 100	674

Municipality address

Sources : Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR)

Phone Number	Fax Number	E-Mail	Web sites
07/ 770 071

Données électorales

Sources : Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (Republic of Lebanon)

Données électorales 2010
Registered voters	Effectifs du conseil municipal	Effectifs moukhtar

Données électorales 2016
Registered voters	Effectifs du conseil municipal	Effectifs moukhtar
	12

Revenue of Independent Municipal Fund

Sources : Official Journal (Lebanese Republic)

Year	Revenues (Thousands Lebanese Pound)
2014	138 277
2013	132 670
2012	134 597
2007	116 786
2006	119 347
2005	72 974
2004	67 796
2003	124 044
2002	121 611

Education

Sources : Central Administration of Statistics (Lebanese Presidency of the Council of Ministers) - Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR)

Educational establishments (2006)	Public	Private	Students schooled in the public schools	Students schooled in the private schools
-	-	-	-	-

Higher Educational Institute	Public	Private
-	-	-

Name origin

Source(s) : Information International SAL - The Monthly
The word ”hardine” is of Syriac origin, meaning fear or fright. Some researchers attribute the name to the village’s once constant state of fear from attack, as it was regularly assailed. However, some researchers argue that the name stems from the words “haret” (alley) and “deen” (religion), owing to the numerous places of worship (approximately 30 churches and monasteries) in the village.

Religious Sites

Source(s) : Information International SAL - The Monthly
Although Hardine is home to 30 churches, many are dilapidated and others have collapsed over time, effectively leaving 20 churches that are still in good condition. This relatively high number of churches is indicative of the village’s important religious status. Some of the churches in Hardine are :

Mar Takla Church in Haret Kassab, an ancient church that was renovated in 1830 by Saint Hardini’s father and again in 1871 by by his brother, Matanious, and his nephew, Boulos.
Mar Tadros Historical Church, which dates back to the tenth century.
Mar Challita, Mar Nohra and Mar Elias Churches, which are all found in mountain caves.
Mar Yohanna Chkif Cell, which dates back to the Crusader period and is known today as the “Toubawi” Cell.
Church of Mar Sarkis and Bakhos, where the baptism of Saint Hardini by Father Mikhael Thabet took place.
Mar Shina Church, which has been standing in the village square since 1844.

In addition, the headquarters of the Maronite Patriarchate was located in Hardine before it was moved to Wadi Qannoubine.

One of the village’s most celebrated occasions occurred in 1998, when Father Naemet Allah Hardini was declared a “Saint”. Hardine and the house of Saint Hardini have been a pilgrimage for visitors since that time, and preparations are now under way for festivals to celebrate the 16 May 2004 declaration that will take place in Rome to pronounce his holiness.

There had been one elementary school in Hardine, but it was closed owing to a lack of students.

Population

Source(s) : Information International SAL - The Monthly
The registered population is mostly made up of Maronites. However, there are no more than 50 households in the village, owing to the emigration of many residents. It is estimated that 25,000 former Hardine residents are now located in the United States, while another 5,000 currently reside in Australia.

Families

Source(s) : Information International SAL - The Monthly
Registered voters are distributed among the following families :

Elias
Khoury
Dagher
Mikhael
Kassab
Shina
Rattel
Mansour
Jirji
Saad
Meer
Nimr
Saleh
Elia
Zaher
Youssef
Dib
Semaan
Boutros
Assaf

Economic Activity

Source(s) : Information International SAL - The Monthly
Owing to Hardine’s long winters, there is little economic activity. Olive growing brings in modest revenues for a number of families, but remittances from expatriates constitute the major source of income for many families.