Maaser el Chouf
Nestled in the heart of the Chouf, a cazas of Mount Lebanon found at 1,250m of altitude and 57 km from Beirut International Airport, the village of Maasser el-Chouf is an ideal location for a change of scenery. Found along the Barouk river valley, the village is a stone's throw from the Beiteddine palace, the vineyards of Kefraya and Kfarhim cave. A preserved hamlet far from the concrete jungle, whose carved stone houses and tile roofs inspire serenity and the sweetness of life. Peacefully, the village is a spot found at the entrance of the three largest cedar forests of the Barouk reserve.
Historical overview
Inhabited since the 5th century B.C.E, this village witnessed an agricultural boom during the 16th century when the great Prince Fakhereddine presided over the Chouf area. Under Ottoman rule, Maasser el Chouf was famous for its vineyards, used in wine and arak distilleries, and mulberry orchards, which were essential to silk worm farming. Today, Maasser’s ancient traditions remain alive, passed from generation to generation through its residents. Whether by savoring the fine artisanal wines of St. Michael’s winery or enjoying the myriad of mouth-watering, locally grown and prepared foods and artisanal goods found at the annual “Jabalna Festival,” a visit to Maasser el Chouf is a wonderful journey through Lebanese heritage.
The Saint-Michael convent
Found in the village of Maasser el Chouf are a church and the relics of an old school; it is within the walls of this school that the Auberge Saint-Michael is found; built at the beginning of the 20th century by Boutros Noujaim, the father of Charles Nouijeim, Maaser’s municipality director. Due to the war at the time, the school was closed because of a lack of teachers and even students; a vocation for this deserted school was needed.
Once peace was reestablished, the idea to convert the school into a hostel was born. Not only a hostel which would permit those who have no homes to come and stay in the village, but also for all those, notably tourists, who wished to visit this historic village and spend a day immersed in it.
About fifty juxtaposed and bunk beds were arranged, the school yard transformed into a garden. The hostel was eventually expanded with the addition of Beit el Hana, a traditionally renovated old house with 6 rooms.
arcenciel management
In 2003, Yolla Noujeim, solicits arcenciel to manage the Saint-Michael convent converted into a hostel, and later on Beit el Hana. The hostel, conform to international hostels standards, was then quickly integrated into arcenciel’s youth program. A model for coexistence was born by a reconciliation between the locals, mostly due to shared activities.
Objectives established by arcenciel
- Allow children and teenagers to develop their physical, intellectual, and artistic potential skills.
- Promote values such as the notion of collective conscience, peace, solidarity and altruism, in order to fight laziness, selfishness, and egocentrism.
- Help young people battle against instability pertaining to their professional future, unemployment and to help discourage rural emigration.
- Assure access to quality education by focusing on a pedagogical aspect
- Incite the youth to help each other so that they can understand that they have as much to give as to gain.
