The Hamatoura Monastery

With the Qadisha River running below it, the monastery has been built around caves formed in the side of a steep cliff, with access only by foot. The monastery’s farmland consists mostly of olive groves, situated at the top of the same mountain on which the monastery is situated.

Much of the focus of the work of the monks is the continual restoration of their monastery as a place of worship, and also the farm. As much as possible the farm provides the monks with almost total self-sufficiency, with olive growing the main activity. As the land is officially registered and monitored as organic, there is much daily work to do. For example, in place of using insecticides, high maintenance pheromone traps are used to catch fruit flies. The monastery works closely with the Istituto Meditteraneo di Certificazione (IMC) to ensure the highest organic standards are met.

More information about the monastery can be found here: www.hamatoura.com