A sacred threshold in Haret Saida

Rooted in faith.Open to the light.

Welcome to Saint Élie—a Maronite community shaped by prayer, held by memory, and open to everyone.

Plan your visit Discover our story

A new chapterRenewed 7 April 2024

TraditionMaronite Catholic

PlaceHaret Saida · al-Qanaya

AffiliationEparchy of Sidon

Begin with what you need

How can we
welcome you?

Explore Saint ÉliePlan a first visit

Your first time

Come exactly as you are.

Find the church, understand what is known about the schedule, and arrive with confidence.

View visit details

Identity & place

At the entrance of Haret Saida

A church renewed.
A community remembered.

Saint Élie Church is a Maronite Catholic church in al-Qanaya, within the Haret Saida area of Sidon, Lebanon.

It belongs to the Maronite parish and the Eparchy of Sidon. The renewed building carries worship, gathering, and parish memory into a new chapter.

كنيسة مار الياس هي كنيسة مارونية كاثوليكية تقع عند مدخل حارة صيدا، في محلة القناية.

Sacred life

A place for Divine Liturgy, prayer, and the sacramental life of the parish.

Renewed in 2024

Inaugurated in its renovated form on 7 April 2024.

Part of Sidon

Located in Haret Saida and connected to the Maronite Eparchy of Sidon.

The architecture of welcome

Move through the threshold

Outside becomes
inside.

Drag across the church’s open door—from the limestone façade into the quiet central nave.

Limestone exterior façade of Saint Élie Church

Exterior · Haret SaidaInterior · Central nave

Inside Saint Élie

A quiet place of prayer

Step through
the open door.

From the central aisle to the altar and side nave, the church’s modest architecture is shaped by warm wood, pale stone, and the light of its pointed windows.

Central aisle and wooden pews leading toward the altar inside Saint Élie Church — **The central nave**Looking toward the altar

Marble altar, candles, lectern, and carpeted steps inside Saint Élie Church — **The sanctuary**Altar and lectern

Wooden benches, pointed windows, and a marble fixture in the side nave — **The side nave**Wood, stone, and morning light

Front limestone façade, bell tower, crosses, pointed windows, and open wooden door of Saint Élie Church — **The open door**Haret Saida · Lebanon

The 2024 inauguration

APRVII2024

The first Divine Liturgy

A renewed church
opens its doors.

The first Divine Liturgy in the renovated church was presided over by Bishop Maroun Al-Ammar, with Monsignor Maroun Kiwan and other clergy, parishioners, and local representatives.

PresiderBishop Maroun Al-AmmarAffiliationMaronite parish and Eparchy of SidonSettingal-Qanaya · Haret Saida

Documented history

From parish memory to a renewed landmark

A history assembled
from the public record.

The available archive does not yet reveal an exact original construction year. What it does show is a church woven into al-Qanaya’s parish, civic, and devotional life across generations.

25 Dec 2024Jubilee of Hope 2025

The church was named as the starting point of a diocesan pilgrimage route.

For the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, the Eparchy announced a Sidon procession beginning at Saint Elias Church in al-Qanaya and continuing to the Saint Elias Maronite Cathedral.

Bishop Al-Ammar announced three diocesan pilgrimage routes and holy doors during the Christmas liturgy on 25 December 2024.
The Sidon route connects the newer church at al-Qanaya with the cathedral, giving the site a role as a threshold for pilgrimage and shared prayer.

Sidonia News

The church today

Worship · gathering · memory

More than
one sacred room.

Public records document a worship hall, an exterior courtyard, and family burial vaults as parts of the church site.

Worship hall

A renewed sacred space for Divine Liturgy, prayer, and the life of the parish.

Exterior courtyard

An open threshold for gathering, greeting, and community around the church.

Family burial vaults

Documented burial facilities connecting parish memory with generations of local families.

Know the place

One saint · three distinct sites

This Saint Élie is
the Haret Saida church.

This site

Saint Élie Church

At the entrance of Haret Saida, in al-Qanaya.

Distinct site

Saint Elias Cathedral

The Maronite cathedral in central Sidon.

Distinct site

Historic Saint Elias shrine

The older shrine on the hill above Haret Saida.

Research archive

Read the record

Sources, context,
and open questions.

What remains to be confirmed

Original construction date, architects and builders, complete renovation scope, parish phone and email, current clergy assignment, accessibility details, and the current Divine Liturgy schedule.

1895–1910 / study published 2022 · Almanara MagazineThe Parish of Sidon in the Memory of Father Elias Attieh

Early parish context and the connection of al-Qanaya to Sidon parish life.

2002 · As-Safir archiveSidon–Jezzine road: from occupation to neglect

Church identified as a landmark near the al-Qanaya roundabout.

2010 · SaidaNet / Liwa Saida & SouthHaret Saida: a link between Sidon and its eastern villages

Town geography, entrance landmarks, and distinction from the hilltop shrine.

2013 · SaidaNet / Al-LiwaaFour churches in Sidon ring their bells for coexistence

The entrance church as a newer Saint Elias site and Sidon’s coexistence context.

2020 · Lebanese National News AgencySidon municipality disinfected Saint Elias Church in Haret Saida

Parish affiliation, interior hall, courtyard, and pandemic-era Sunday liturgy preparation.

2023 · SaidaNetWay of the Cross in the Sidon district

Good Friday observance involving the al-Qanaya church.