Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Beirut

The Romanesque Revival Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator is located near the district of Saifi, in Beirut, just off Charles Malek Avenue. The cathedral was preceded by earlier churches at this location in 1860. Funding for the Cathedral was provided by Pope Pius XI in 1928.

In 1950 the church was demolished on the order of Cardinal Aghajatian to be replaced by the Romanesque cathedral. The cathedral was completed by 1959 only to be heavily damaged in the civil war. It was renovated after the end of the war in 1990. Services are held twice on Sundays.

Saint Gregory is the 4th century patron saint of Armenia. He was one of the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church. His relics, including body parts, are scattered all over the old Roman Empire. His head is somewhere in Armenia. His left hand is in the Echmiadzin Cathedral of Armenia. The right hand is in Antelias, Lebanon.

Saint Elias is popular among Christians, Muslims and Jews. There are nearly three hundred shrines dedicated to him in Lebanon. He is an old time prophet from the 9th century BC who did battle against Baal, the ancient deity of Phoenicia.

The cathedral is within easy walking distance of other religious sites, like Saint Elija Greek Catholic Church, Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Saint Louis Church of the Capuchins, al Omari Mosque, Mohammad al Amin Mosque, and others.