Introduction [1]
There are six well known saints with the name of Marina or Marinos ... However, there are most likely two who have truly existed -- Marina of Antioch who accepted martyrdom for her faith and Marina the Monk who suffered the consequences of her imposture as a male monk in the Monastery of Qannoubine, Lebanon (Clugnet 1904: 568).
Léon Clugnet, a French auther, states that the confusion pertaining to all of the other saints named Marina is due to the translators and the copyists’ attribution of the saint’s origins to their own countries or other countries that they felt better fit the Saint’s life. This is why we find that the Greek version of Saint Marina’s life places her birth in Bethany; the Coptic version in Egypt and some of the Latin places it in Italy (Clugnet 1904: 265 footnote # 2).
According to the most ancient accounts on Saint Marina the Monk, only one place of origin could be hers -- Lebanon . Clugnet resolves that until new discoveries are made, the only origin of Saint Marina must be the one known to us according to tradition and since the only tradition about this Saint is found among the Maronites of Lebanon, then Lebanon is to be considered the land of her birth (Clugnet 1904: 565). The Maronites resolutely believe that Marina originated in Lebanon and that as a monk she has lived and died in the Monastery of Qannoubine in the Holy Valley of Qadisha. J. Fiey in turn concludes that Marina in question is truly a local saint of Lebanon, victim of imposture (Fiey 1978: 33).
Léon Clugnet, a French auther, states that the confusion pertaining to all of the other saints named Marina is due to the translators and the copyists’ attribution of the saint’s origins to their own countries or other countries that they felt better fit the Saint’s life. This is why we find that the Greek version of Saint Marina’s life places her birth in Bethany; the Coptic version in Egypt and some of the Latin places it in Italy (Clugnet 1904: 265 footnote # 2).
According to the most ancient accounts on Saint Marina the Monk, only one place of origin could be hers -- Lebanon . Clugnet resolves that until new discoveries are made, the only origin of Saint Marina must be the one known to us according to tradition and since the only tradition about this Saint is found among the Maronites of Lebanon, then Lebanon is to be considered the land of her birth (Clugnet 1904: 565). The Maronites resolutely believe that Marina originated in Lebanon and that as a monk she has lived and died in the Monastery of Qannoubine in the Holy Valley of Qadisha. J. Fiey in turn concludes that Marina in question is truly a local saint of Lebanon, victim of imposture (Fiey 1978: 33).
The Holy Valley of Qadisha in North Lebanon. Image by Naanouh Productions.
The account of Saint Marina or Marinos is found in the hagiographies of the Syriac, Maronite, Coptic, Ethiopian, Greek and Latin Churches. Many biographies on this Saint were written in Syriac, Coptic, Arabic, Greek, Latin, Ethiopian, Armenian, German, French, and Spanish languages. From the considerable amount of manuscripts and writings, we can presume the veneration and honor that this Saint had once enjoyed in both the Eastern and Western world during the medieval era.
Biography [2]
According the current Maronite Synaxarium, "Marina was born in Qlamoun North Lebanon. Her father was a pious man. Her mother died while Marina was very young. This has made her father renounce the world and leave for the Monastery of Qannoubine in the Holy Valley; accompanying him was his daughter, whom he dressed like a man. Both father and daughter entered into monkshood without revealing the identity of the daughter to the monks.
As a monk she was known by the name Marinos. Although young, Marinos occupied himself with the practice of monastic virtues with utmost spirit and minuteness. He was silent and reticent with bowed head and eyes, making of his cowl a veil concealing the features of his face and eyes.
One day he was sent to a neighboring town on a mission for the Monastery. He was obliged to spend the night at the house of a friend of the monks named Paphnotius. Paphnotius had a young girl who had fallen into adultery and was found pregnant. Upon finding out, her father was enraged and demanded the name of the perpetrator. His daughter told him that Marinos the Monk had raped her the night he spent in their house. Her father went straight to the Monastery and told the Superior, who was surprised for he knew that Marinos is a pious and pure man.
The Superior called Marinos and scolded him, but Marinos said nothing to defend himself. Consequently, the Superior was very perplexed and considered Marinos’ silence to be an admission of guilt. He then sentenced Marinos to dismissal and to be thrown outside the Monastery. Marinos resigned himself to the will of God and stayed at the door of the Monastery praying and crying, living off the leftovers of the monks’ food. His father had long since died.
When the daughter delivered, the grandfather brought the child, a boy, to the Monastery and threw him to Marinos saying: “take and raise your son.”
Marinos took the boy and began raising him with what the monks used to bring to him of goat milk and of leftovers from their table. This situation lasted four years. Marinos carried the shame of this hideous accusation without any complaints. However, the Superior had compassion for him and let him enter the Monastery under very strict conditions. Marinos accepted while shedding the tears of repentance.
Marinos persevered in his ascetic work until the hour of his death when the features of his face glowed with a heavenly light. He asked forgiveness from all and he forgave all those who sinned against him. He then gave up his spirit.
The Superior then ordered that his body be prepared for burial outside the Monastery. It was a great moment of astonishment when the monks found that Marinos was a woman and not a man. The Superior and the monks fell on their knees before the pure cadaver, asking God and the soul of the holy saint forgiveness.
As for the father of the sinful daughter, he was ashamed and came to make his statement before everyone. As for the daughter, she spent her life crying and repenting at the tomb of the saint.
The sanctity of Marina spread all over Lebanon, people from all its regions came to the Monastery of Qannoubine to be blessed by her body. Her tomb became a source of cures and graces." (Daher 1996: 189-190)
This account on the life, legend, and relics of Saint Marina the Monk tells us but little about her passion, suffering, and humiliation. The Maronites remain to this day fascinated by this Saint. Among them, there is almost a righteous anger against the injustice that was done to her. To this day, her name is intertwined with that of the Monastery of Qannoubine and her nearby grotto is a reminder of her chastity, obedience, asceticism, humility, forgiveness, and sainthood.
As a monk she was known by the name Marinos. Although young, Marinos occupied himself with the practice of monastic virtues with utmost spirit and minuteness. He was silent and reticent with bowed head and eyes, making of his cowl a veil concealing the features of his face and eyes.
One day he was sent to a neighboring town on a mission for the Monastery. He was obliged to spend the night at the house of a friend of the monks named Paphnotius. Paphnotius had a young girl who had fallen into adultery and was found pregnant. Upon finding out, her father was enraged and demanded the name of the perpetrator. His daughter told him that Marinos the Monk had raped her the night he spent in their house. Her father went straight to the Monastery and told the Superior, who was surprised for he knew that Marinos is a pious and pure man.
The Superior called Marinos and scolded him, but Marinos said nothing to defend himself. Consequently, the Superior was very perplexed and considered Marinos’ silence to be an admission of guilt. He then sentenced Marinos to dismissal and to be thrown outside the Monastery. Marinos resigned himself to the will of God and stayed at the door of the Monastery praying and crying, living off the leftovers of the monks’ food. His father had long since died.
When the daughter delivered, the grandfather brought the child, a boy, to the Monastery and threw him to Marinos saying: “take and raise your son.”
Marinos took the boy and began raising him with what the monks used to bring to him of goat milk and of leftovers from their table. This situation lasted four years. Marinos carried the shame of this hideous accusation without any complaints. However, the Superior had compassion for him and let him enter the Monastery under very strict conditions. Marinos accepted while shedding the tears of repentance.
Marinos persevered in his ascetic work until the hour of his death when the features of his face glowed with a heavenly light. He asked forgiveness from all and he forgave all those who sinned against him. He then gave up his spirit.
The Superior then ordered that his body be prepared for burial outside the Monastery. It was a great moment of astonishment when the monks found that Marinos was a woman and not a man. The Superior and the monks fell on their knees before the pure cadaver, asking God and the soul of the holy saint forgiveness.
As for the father of the sinful daughter, he was ashamed and came to make his statement before everyone. As for the daughter, she spent her life crying and repenting at the tomb of the saint.
The sanctity of Marina spread all over Lebanon, people from all its regions came to the Monastery of Qannoubine to be blessed by her body. Her tomb became a source of cures and graces." (Daher 1996: 189-190)
This account on the life, legend, and relics of Saint Marina the Monk tells us but little about her passion, suffering, and humiliation. The Maronites remain to this day fascinated by this Saint. Among them, there is almost a righteous anger against the injustice that was done to her. To this day, her name is intertwined with that of the Monastery of Qannoubine and her nearby grotto is a reminder of her chastity, obedience, asceticism, humility, forgiveness, and sainthood.
The Saint's Grotto [3]
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The grotto of Saint Marina is only 100 meters away from the Monastery of Our Lady of Qannoubine which is currently occupied by the Antonine Order of nuns. To reach the grotto, one must traverse a sandy path. Just before reaching the wall of the grotto, there stands an ancient tree that used to serve as the burial site for Maronite Patriarchs. In the backdrop, there is a stone wall and a blue wooden door that leads to the chapel of Saint Marina.
The chapel itself is a spacious room constructed right in front of the naturally carved rock grotto. Inside, you will find weathered, brown pews made of old wood arranged in front of a marble altar. Resting on the altar is a carved figure of Saint Marina. Behind this newer altar, deeper into the grotto, you will find an older altar crafted from ordinary stone. Adjacent to the grotto, on the right side, stands a marble mausoleum where the remains of seventeen Patriarchs, originally buried near the grotto and the old tree, were reburied in 1909. This mausoleum is the final resting place for fifteen out of the twenty-four Maronite Patriarchs who served during the period when Qannoubin was the See of the Maronite Patriarchate, spanning from 1440 to 1823. |
The grotto of Saint Marina in the Valley of Qadisha, North Lebanon
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Presently, the grotto serves as a sacred shrine. Each year on July 17, Saint Marina's feast day, people from the Holy Valley embark on pilgrimages to the grotto. On this day, Mass is conducted to honor this once renowned saint. Saint Marina, who was revered in numerous locations in the past, is now venerated in only three places: Lebanon, Cyprus, and Venice, Italy.
Images by the Maronite Patriarchate
Relics
It is believed that relics of Saint Marina the Monk, except for her left hand which was kept at the Monastery of Qannoubine, were transferred to Constantinople and from there to Venice, Italy. The relics are said to have been placed in Saint Liberal and Saint Alexis parish church. However, soon after the arrival of the relics, the church became known as the Church of Santa Marina. It is located near a river or water canal named Rio di Santa Marina. In 1818, when the church was demolished the relics were transferred to Santa Maria Formosa Church. The people of Venice venerate Saint Marina on July 17, same as the Maronite Church. [4]
The body of Saint Marina which was kept and venerated in Venice, Italy, by the Catholic Church, returned to her homeland Lebanon for a short visit, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, after eight hundred years of being in Italy. Saint Marina’s preserved body was kept in a glass box. The faithful and the Maronite Church experienced a momentous celebration during this event.
The body of Saint Marina which was kept and venerated in Venice, Italy, by the Catholic Church, returned to her homeland Lebanon for a short visit, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, after eight hundred years of being in Italy. Saint Marina’s preserved body was kept in a glass box. The faithful and the Maronite Church experienced a momentous celebration during this event.
Images by Noursat Network.
From the airport, the procession of the body headed towards the Patriarchal headquarters in Diman, northern Lebanon, where it remained on the altar of the church until the dawn of Friday. Afterward, it was transported to Qannoubine Valley to be placed on her empty tomb in the Saint's Grotto where she was originally buried. It stayed there until Sunday evening, and then returned to Diman. A farewell was held for the nun of Qannoubine, Marina, on Monday, July 23, 2018, and the body of Saint Marina left Lebanon, returning to Italy.
Sources
[1] “Saint Marina the Monk, Part One” by Guita G. Hourani, Chairwoman of MARI
[2] The Maronite Synaxarium
[3] and [4] “Saint Marina the Monk, Part Two” by Guita G. Hourani, Chairwoman of MARI
[1] “Saint Marina the Monk, Part One” by Guita G. Hourani, Chairwoman of MARI
[2] The Maronite Synaxarium
[3] and [4] “Saint Marina the Monk, Part Two” by Guita G. Hourani, Chairwoman of MARI
