A walk in the town of Hemlaya, a town in the Metn district, Lebanon.
Posted on: November 22, 2025
Friday November 22, 2025.
Mind you that this is the birthplace of canonized St. Rafka and the current Maronite Patriarch Bshara Raii. Thus, as expected, this town received plenty of funds to promote religious pilgrimage, and funding for the close relatives to the Patriarch.
The two main families are the Raii and Rayess. As the families antagonize one another they each build its own church. Thus, you see 3 churches close to each other.
My guide Doudou picked me up at 8 am.
I did not mind since I have been waking up late at 9 am. It was not a good night sleep. I woke up at 2 am and wrote and watched TV till 3:30. I ate some of my apple salad and two big spoons of pomegranate. But I could not sleep until 5: 30 with frequent visit to getting up to piss.
We parked by the shrine of St. Rafka, an extension of her parents’ small house and where she was borne. and where she lived for 18 years before moving to Jrabta, a monastery if the district of Betroun.
We roamed the streets of the town for 3 hours. After the canonization of Rafka, the funds poured in and the town opened a boulevard to the Rafka initial church and where she spent the best of time when she lived in the town. A huge cathedral is currently in construction.
This is a true wide and modern boulevard, not like the 4 named “boulevards” in the town for people to taking strolls. We passed by a shop who deliver cooked dished to the army. I asked the location of Milad Sebali who opened several online schools. He told us to take a descending road to the nearby town of Meyyassi.
We walked the trail of the Cross (darb al salib), imitating the 14 stations of the Golgotha.
Doudou says she has walked the trail under this Cross Trail, but it need maintenance in order to venture again.
From that church we could see the village of Ain Kabo perched on a hill the other side of the valley. Doudou says that she had been there and witnessed the bleeding sight of quarries demolishing the entire valley.
We could also see the church and institution of Mar Antonios in Beit Chabab, and the cathedral in Mar Botros. We could see the town of Ejaltoun across the valley, so close and mere bridge could link the two districts in Meten and Kesruwan.
As we returned to the car, I asked Doudou to take the road to Meyyassi so that I could get acquainted with the villa of Milad Sebali. She has never taken this road that can eventually end to Mar Botros, Ain Kharoubi and Beit Chabab.
Doudou suggested we go purchase our meal of fish at the Message for Peace institution and then come back to check on the Meyyassi road.
We got our takeaway and returned to Meyyassi. after a mile, Doudou refused to go ahead on account the the road is tight and not maintained. Dommage. We will visit these towns a second time.
we stopped at Jean-Pierre Bou Debs and I bought some homemade sausages. Doudou visited with Linda the across the street bakery for manakeesh. I was home by 12:30 and loaded with food for 4 days.
I decided to take a nap before having lunch and changed to dry clothes.
Adonis Diaries 
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