by Sarah Mady
My research examines healing shrines in pre-modern North Lebanon with a special focus on those that were used by women and mothers. Not enough scholarly attention has been given to such spaces that are typically identified as chapels. However, their names, local oral history, and other evidence suggest that their use does not fit in the official liturgy. Women and mothers have used them through different stages of their lives: from conception to delivery, lactation, and infant health. I will present results of my survey and discuss their use as paraliturgical shrines as well as new approaches to study them.