Gabriel II of Blaouza (or Jibra'il al-Bluzani, ''Gabriel of Blawza'', , , born in 1625, Blaouza,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

- died on October 31, 1705, Qannubin Monastery,

Kadisha Valley Kadisha Valley (), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The valley was carved by the Kad ...

), was the 58th

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

Patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

from 1704 to his death in 1705.

Life

Gabriel of Blaouza was born in Blaouza,

in about 1625, the son of an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

. He entered young in the monastery of St. Anthony of Qozhaya in the

. Here, he was ordained priest on an unknown date. Gabriel of Blaouza was appointed and consecrated Maronite bishop of

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

by Patriarch

George Rizqallah Beseb'ely George II Rizqallah Beseb'ely (or Jirjis al-Basba'li, ''Beseb'ely'', , , born in 1595 in Beseb'el, Lebanon – died on April 12, 1670, Keserwan District, Lebanon), was the 56th Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1657 to his death in 1670. Life G ...

in 1663. He left his monastery and went to Aleppo, and served here as bishop for forty-one years till his election to Patriarch. During his service in Aleppo, he supported and helped Patriarch

Estephan El Douaihy Istifan al-Duwayhi or Estephan El Douaihy ( / ALA-LC: ''Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī''; ; ; ; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th List of Maronite Patriarchs, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his d ...

many times. In 1672, he was chosen by

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X (; ; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death on 22 July 1676. Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, born in Rome in ...

to deliver the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

to the new patriarch

, whom he became a valuable employee. In 1673, while continuing to administer his diocese, he founded a monastery north of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, where he lived most of the rest of his life. Gabriel of Blaouza, after a previous attempt failed because of the opposition of the

Druzes The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

, succeed to found a

religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...

, the

Antonin Maronite Order The Antonins, known formally as the Antonin Maronite Order (; abbreviated OAM), is a monastic order of pontifical right for men in the Maronite Church. The order was founded on August 15, 1700, in the Monastery of Mar Chaaya, Lebanon, by Maronit ...

, characterized by a centralized organization with its proper hierarchy. The first

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

was celebrated in the newly erected church of his order at the Monastery of Mar Chaya on August 15, 1700. His order would be approved by

Pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

in 1740. After the death of Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy, Gabriel of Blaouza was elected Patriarch on May 12, 1704, and his election was confirmed by

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

on April 27, 1705. Blaouza, however, received the pallium only in October 1705 and died suddenly on the eve of the Solemnity of

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...

of the same year.

Notes

Sources

* Pierre Dib, v. Maronite (Eglise), https://archive.org/stream/dictionnairedet10pt1vaca#page/n43/mode/2up, Tome Dixième, première partie, Paris 1928, coll. 72-73. *

Giuseppe Simone Assemani Giuseppe Simone Assemani ( Classical Syriac : ܝܵܘܣܸܦ ܒܲܪ ܫܸܡܥܘܿܢ , ( ''Yusuf ibn Siman as-Simani'', , ; July 27, 1687 – January 13, 1768) was a librarian, Lebanese Maronite orientalist, and Catholic bishop. For his efforts, an ...

, Series chronologica Patriarcharum Antiochiae,https://archive.org/stream/serieschronologi00asseuoft#page/40/mode/2up, Rome 1881, p. 40. * Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, https://archive.org/stream/hierarchiacathol05eubeuoft#page/89/mode/1up, p. 89.

External links

* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bblauza.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Blaouza, Gabriel Of 17th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 18th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 1705 deaths Bishops in the Ottoman Empire Maronites from the Ottoman Empire Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch Year of birth unknown 1625 births 18th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops

Life

See also

Notes

Sources

External links