Jouar El-Matn is a village in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. It is located between Chrine, Chouweir and
Khenchara, on the main road to Bteghrine Baskinta, and is north east of
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
. Covering an area of about , this village is known for its traditional red-roofed brick houses.
In the town is the 18th-century church of
Saint Nicolas, noted for its
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed ...
of wood. In addition to its collection of icons, the monastery is the site of the Middle East's first Arabic
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
, which first appeared in 1734. A five-room museum displays the old presses and some 450 related objects and pieces of equipment. The oldest model displayed was built between 1726 and 1733 by Abdallah el-Zakhir from
Aleppo.
Populated places in the Matn District
Melkite Christian communities in Lebanon
{{Lebanon-geo-stub