Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George

Neighboring Nejmeh Square is the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. It contains a modest crypt museum that chronicles the history of Beirut and the spread of Christianity in the country. The cathedral and the region it is in were bombarded when the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975, which resulted in terrible destruction. The bombing unexpectedly made the crypt visible, which is unquestionably a gift for archaeologists. There may have been a cathedral there as early as 2,000 years ago, according to archaeologists. The cathedral was allegedly being renovated and expanded by the faithful. The cathedral's features can be broken down into seven stages. Artifacts made at various times, such as oil lamps, murals, and containers, have also been discovered. All of these artifacts are now on display in the cathedral's underground crypt museum. Visitors pass through the twelve checkpoints on a tiny metal walkway that runs the length of the rather small museum. Visitors gain a thorough understanding of the cathedral's and Beirut's history. The Museum:

The museum is a 12-stop tour that takes place in a crypt that runs underneath a portion of the cathedral and highlights various historical and archaeological levels. A crack in the cathedral's foundation wall and a stairwell constructed in front of the building's northern side provide access to the museum. The crypt eventually opens out to a glass wall that provides views of the cathedral's altar toward the end of the circuit. Numerous artifacts, including oil lamps, ceramics, statuettes, smoking pipes, Christian dishes, and decorations are on display. Other relics that have been preserved in place include mosaics, stone carvings, altars, apses, tombstones, and columns, some of which date back to the Cardo Maximus of the old city. The excavation site also has a necropolis with 25 open graves. The head of the tombs faced west, and the tombs were positioned on an east-west axis. These burials were made of a single course of sandstone that was covered in substantial stone slabs. A significant number of iron nails were found in the necropolis, indicating that wooden coffins were used in traditional burial practices. The skeleton of a man wearing a bronze tiara, an iron arrowhead, and three bronze amulets was found in one of the graves that had been discovered.