The St George's Church attack, also known as the massacre of the Saint George Church, was a massacre of Maronite Christian worshipers in the Lebanese village of

Brih Brih, Breeh ( ar, بريح) is a village in the Chouf District in Mount Lebanon region, Lebanon. Brih is located away from Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. It sits at an altitude of above sea level and has an overall surface area of . The word ...

in the

Chouf mountains Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf, in ''Jabal ash-Shouf''; french: La Montagne du Chouf) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate (muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east o ...

which took place on August 21, 1977, during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

leftist gunmen attacked St George's Church during prayers on Sunday with automatic gunfire inside and around the church killing 13 people.

Motives

The attack was part of a series of massacres of

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

in the Chouf region which was in response following the March 16 assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, founder of the Progressive Socialist Party by the Syrian army and traditional leader of the Druze community.

Aftermath

Brih's Christian population fled the village. However, current construction projects have taken place to repair abandoned Christian houses with the aim of repopulating the Christian households of

References

1977 in Lebanon Massacres of the Lebanese Civil War 1977 murders in Lebanon August 1977 crimes August 1977 events in Asia Attacks on churches in Asia Chouf District Massacres of Christians in Lebanon Massacres in religious buildings and structures {{MEast-hist-stub

Motives

Aftermath

See also

References