Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral
View of the cathedral from Nejmeh square
Basic information
Location	Beirut, Lebanon
Geographic coordinates	33°53′47″N 35°30′19″E / 33.896339°N 35.505141°E / 33.896339; 35.505141Coordinates: 33°53′47″N 35°30′19″E / 33.896339°N 35.505141°E / 33.896339; 35.505141
Affiliation	Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
Year consecrated	1764
Status	active
Completed	1772
Specifications
Direction of façade	West
Materials	Sandstone, marble, limestone

Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Arabic: كاتدرائية القديس جاورجيوس للروم الارثودكس ‎‎) is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan bishop of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and its dependencies. It is the city's oldest extant church: it has been built over the disappeared Anastasi Romano-Byzantine Cathedral.

The establishment of the Archdiocese of Beirut is attributed according to the Greek Orthodox tradition to the Apostle Quartus of Berytus, one of the Seventy disciples, who served as Beirut's first bishop.Byzantine emperor Theodosius II issued a decree c. 449 – c. 450 AD elevating the bishop of Beirut Efstathius to the rank of Metropolitan bishop. The city was until then a diocese of the Metropolis of Tyre.

The Anastasis cathedral was the first church to be built on the site of the Saint George cathedral. It was built by Efstathuis in the fifth century AD and bordered the auditoria of Beirut's Roman law school. The church influenced the teachings of the school as law scholars worked to reconcile the texts of Roman law and the teachings of Christianity as attested by Severus of Antioch, who visited the city in the fifth century AD.

In 551 AD a massive earthquake destroyed the whole of Beirut including the "Anastasis cathedral". In the 12th century a cathedral was built in the same location. The structure was badly damaged by a 1759 earthquake and was pulled down to be built anew. Construction started in 1764 and the new, larger structure, with one nave and a vaulted ceiling, was completed in 1767. However, the ceiling collapsed killing 90 people, due to the lack of supporting pillars. In 1772 the church was rebuilt on a cruciform plan with three naves, a new portico was added to the north facade, the main western facade was enlarged and a new bell-tower was built on the north-western corner.