Kaftoun () is a small Lebanese village located along the north bank of the Walnut River, in the

Koura District Koura District (, from ) is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon. Koura is one of the 26 districts of Lebanon, particularly known for its olive tree cultivation and olive oil production. It comprises a total of 52 villages, and its ca ...

of the

North Governorate North Governorate (, ') is one of the governorates of Lebanon and one of the two governorates of North Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North Governorate is ...

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 ...

. The population of the village is approximately three-hundred, spread around seventy-four houses. They are mostly

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

Etymology

The name "Kaftoun" in the ancient

Aramaic language Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient Syria (region), region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai Peninsula, Sinai, Southeastern Anatolia Regi ...

means "dug from" or "sculpted from" a cliff and also (Kftuna) could means "the domed". Both roots of the word lead us to believe that the village of Kaftoun was named after the domed Theotokos Monastery which is carved in the red rock cliffs by the banks of the Jaouz River.

Demographics

In 2014,

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

made up 98.92% of registered voters in Kaftoun. 90.28% of the voters were

Churches

Kaftoun has three historic churches: Saint Phocas Church (Mar Foka's), the Church of Saint Sergius and Bacchus (Mar Sarkis) 6th century, and the most famed Theotokos Monastery, which houses a two-sided Byzantine iconKaftoun's Theotokos
. Ortmtlb.org.lb. Retrieved on October 12, 2011. from the 11th century.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20130903215351/http://www.kaftoun.com/

Localiban {{Koura District Christian communities in Lebanon Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Lebanon Populated places in Koura District