Visiting Annaya: How to Plan a Pilgrimage to Saint Charbel's Tomb
This is a practical guide to planning your pilgrimage to Annaya, where Saint Charbel lived, died, and lies entombed. It covers the drive from Beirut, what to see and in what order, praying at the tomb, the hermitage, the holy oil, Mass, the busiest days of the year, and what to wear.
Millions of people make this journey every year, many of them carrying a specific hope: a healing, a conversion, a burden they want to lay down. You do not need to book anything, and there is no entrance fee. You mostly need to know how to get up the mountain and what to expect when you arrive.
For the story of the monastery itself, its 1828 founding and Charbel's years there, see our guide to the history of Annaya Monastery.
Where Annaya Is
Annaya is a village in the Jbeil (Byblos) district of Mount Lebanon. The Monastery of Saint Maron sits above the village at about 1,200 meters altitude, on a forested mountainside of pine and oak with the Mediterranean visible in the distance.
It lies roughly 70 kilometers north of Beirut, about 17 kilometers up from the coast at Jbeil. The drive from Beirut takes around 90 minutes: north along the coastal highway to Jbeil, then inland and uphill on a paved mountain road that runs all the way to the monastery gates.
There is no regular public transport to the monastery. Most visitors drive, hire a taxi for the day, or join an organized pilgrimage. Parking is available on the grounds.
What to See, and in What Order
The monastery is open to visitors daily, year-round, and there is no entrance fee. You do not need to be Catholic, or Christian, to enter and pray.
Most pilgrims work through the site in this order. Start at the church that holds the tomb, since this is the reason people come and it is quietest early. Then the small museum of Charbel's vestments and personal belongings. Then the walk uphill to the hermitage where he spent his last twenty-three years. Finish on the grounds and the forest paths, which are a good place to sit before driving back down.
Allow two to three hours for an unhurried visit. On the 22nd of the month or during the July feast, allow considerably longer, because the line to reach the tomb is slow.
Saint Charbel's Tomb
The tomb is the heart of the pilgrimage. It sits in the large church at Annaya that the Lebanese Maronite Order built after Charbel's beatification in 1965 and consecrated in 1974, raised specifically to hold the numbers of people arriving to pray at his grave.
The tomb itself is a marble sepulchre. Pilgrims queue to reach it, and the waiting is part of the visit. People pray as they wait, and many carry something with them: a written intention, a photograph of someone who is sick, sometimes a medical report.
At the tomb the gestures are simple and remarkably consistent. Pilgrims kneel, rest a hand flat on the marble, and stay in silence. Many touch the stone and then touch the part of their own body where they are asking for healing, or the photograph of the person they came for. Written intentions are left at the tomb.
The atmosphere is dense with devotion rather than solemn quiet. Candles burn, prayers are murmured in Arabic, French, English, Spanish, and more, and people weep openly. The walls nearby are lined with crutches, braces, photographs, and handwritten letters left by those who believe they were healed through his intercession.
There is no fixed form of prayer to say here. Some pray a decade of the Rosary, some pray one of the prayers to Saint Charbel, and many simply say what they came to say. Blessed oil associated with the tomb is available at the shrine, and pilgrims commonly anoint themselves before or after praying.
Be aware that this is a place of prayer before it is a monument. Photography is best kept discreet, phones silent, and conversation low. If you can, come on an ordinary weekday morning, when you can kneel at the tomb without a queue behind you. For the accounts of reported healings connected to this tomb, see Saint Charbel's miracles and his incorrupt body.
The Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul
Higher up the hill, a short walk from the main buildings, stands the Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul. This is where Charbel spent the last twenty-three years of his life, from 1875 until his death on Christmas Eve in 1898.
The hermitage is small and plain: a chapel, a cell with a wooden bed and a simple table, and a modest garden. It has been kept close to how it was in his lifetime. Many pilgrims describe the hermitage as the most moving part of the visit, quieter and more intimate than the main monastery.
Take the walk up if you are able. It is where the silence Charbel cultivated feels closest, and where you can see the actual room in which he prayed through the long years of his solitude. For more on this part of his life, see our guide to the Hermitage of Saint Charbel.
The Holy Oil
One of the enduring signs associated with Saint Charbel is the oil connected to his tomb. After his death, monks reported an oil-like substance seeping from his body, and the tomb has been linked with an oil that pilgrims apply in prayer for healing.
At Annaya you will find small bottles of blessed oil, often given freely or available near the shrine. Pilgrims take it home, anoint themselves or those they are praying for, and keep it as a physical link to the saint. It is a devotional aid, not a medicine, and the Church presents it as an occasion for faith rather than a guaranteed cure.
If you want to understand what the oil is and how the devotion began, see our guide to Saint Charbel's oil.
The 22nd of the Month
If you can choose your date, know that the 22nd of each month is a special day of pilgrimage at Annaya. It draws far larger crowds than an ordinary day.
The tradition traces back to Nohad El Shami, a Lebanese woman left partially paralyzed by a stroke. She reported that Saint Charbel and Saint Maron appeared to her in a vision on the night of 21 to 22 January 1993, that she was healed, and that Charbel asked her to attend Mass at the hermitage on the 22nd of every month for the rest of her life. She kept that monthly pilgrimage for decades.
Since then, the 22nd has become a recognized day of devotion. The monastery holds Mass and, weather permitting, a Eucharistic procession, and pilgrims gather in large numbers. Expect crowds, candles, and incense, and a slower pace to move through the tomb chapel.
The Feast and the Novena
The other major date is the feast of Saint Charbel, celebrated on 24 July in the general calendar and on the third Sunday of July in the Maronite rite. It is the busiest period of the year at Annaya, and the monastery fills with pilgrims from Lebanon and abroad.
Many pilgrims prepare with a novena in the days leading up to the feast, praying from 15 to 24 July. You can pray it from anywhere in the world with our Novena to Saint Charbel, and there is a wider collection of prayers to Saint Charbel for daily devotion.
Mass at Annaya
Mass is celebrated daily at the Monastery of Saint Maron, usually several times a day and mainly in Arabic in the Maronite rite. The basilica stays open through the day for private prayer and veneration at the tomb.
Be honest with your planning here: there is no single fixed timetable that holds all year. Mass times shift with the season, and they are different on feast days and on the 22nd of the month. Times are posted at the church entrance, but if you are traveling specifically to attend a particular Mass, confirm directly with the monastery before you go rather than relying on a schedule found online.
Practical Tips for Pilgrims
What to wear: This is an active place of worship, so dress modestly. Shoulders and knees covered is a safe rule for everyone. Comfortable shoes help, since the ground is uneven and the walk to the hermitage is uphill.
When it is busiest: The 22nd of every month, the July feast, and Sundays draw the largest crowds. Christmas Eve, the anniversary of Charbel's death, is another major day. For a quieter, more contemplative visit, come on an ordinary weekday.
Weather and season: Spring and autumn are the most pleasant. Summers are warm but cooler than the coast thanks to the altitude, and winter can bring snow to the mountain road.
Nearby: Annaya pairs naturally with the ancient coastal city of Jbeil (Byblos) below. To understand the wider world Charbel belonged to, read about the Maronites in Lebanon.
However you come, and whatever you carry with you, Annaya asks little and offers much. Most pilgrims leave having done something very simple: they knelt at a tomb, in silence, and prayed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Annaya?
Annaya is a village in the Jbeil (Byblos) district of Mount Lebanon, about 70 kilometers north of Beirut and roughly a 90-minute drive. The Monastery of Saint Maron, where Saint Charbel is entombed, sits at about 1,200 meters altitude on a forested mountainside overlooking the Mediterranean coast.
What are the Mass times at Saint Charbel Annaya?
Mass is celebrated daily at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya, usually several times a day and mainly in Arabic in the Maronite rite. Exact times change with the season and are different on feast days and on the 22nd of the month, so there is no single fixed timetable. Times are posted at the church entrance, and pilgrims planning around a specific Mass should confirm directly with the monastery before traveling.
What is special about the 22nd of the month at Annaya?
The 22nd of each month is a special day of pilgrimage at Annaya. It is tied to the healing of Nohad El Shami, a Lebanese woman who reported that Saint Charbel appeared to her in January 1993 and asked her to come to the hermitage on the 22nd of every month. Since then, large numbers of pilgrims gather on the 22nd, and the monastery holds Masses and a Eucharistic procession that day.
How do you get to Annaya from Beirut?
Drive north from Beirut on the coastal highway toward Jbeil (Byblos), then follow the mountain road inland and uphill to Annaya, about 17 kilometers from the coast. The full journey is roughly 70 kilometers and takes about 90 minutes. There is no regular public transport to the monastery, so most visitors drive, hire a taxi, or join an organized pilgrimage. Parking is available at the monastery.
Can you visit Saint Charbel's tomb?
Yes. Saint Charbel's tomb is in the church at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya, consecrated in 1974 to hold the growing numbers of pilgrims, and it is open to all visitors daily with no entrance fee. You do not need to be Catholic or Christian to enter and pray. Pilgrims queue to reach the marble tomb, kneel and rest a hand on the stone, leave written intentions and photographs of those they are praying for, light candles, and take home the blessed oil associated with the shrine. The surrounding walls are lined with crutches, braces, and letters left by people who believe they were healed through his intercession.
See also: Annaya Monastery, the history of the monastery and how it began. The Hermitage of Saint Charbel, where he spent his last 23 years. The life of Saint Charbel Makhlouf and his reported miracles. Pray the Novena to Saint Charbel before you go.