Cross of All Nations
{{short description|Monumental cross located in Baskinta, Lebanon}}
{{coord|33|57|56|N|35|49|41|E|display=title}}
{{Infobox monument
|monument_name =Cross of All Nations
|native_name = صليب كل الشعوب
|image =
|caption =The lit Cross of All Nations during the inauguration ceremony
|location = Baskinta, Lebanon
|designer =
|type =
|material = Steel, concrete
|length =
|width =37 meters
|height =73.8 meters
|begin = 25 November 2008
|complete = 27 June 2010
|open = 13 September 2010
|dedicated_to = Commemorate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
|map_image =
|map_caption =
|map_width =
|coordinates =
|lat =
|long =
|extra =
}}
The Cross of All Nations is a monumental cross located in Qanat Bakish, a locality close to the Lebanese town of Baskinta. The cross was built near a church dating back to 1898 on a land belonging to the Lebanese Maronite Order. At {{convert|73.8|m|ft}} tall, the Cross of All Nations is the largest illuminated cross in the world, it was inaugurated on September 13, 2010 on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It was built by the Maronite Church and an organization of French Catholics the "Association Terre de Dieu" led by the brothers Jesus and Francois Ibanez..
Context
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross commemorates the discovery of the Cross of Christ by St. Helen, the mother of Roman emperor Constantine, on September 14, 326. In Lebanon the feast is celebrated each year in Christian towns and cities with crowded processions during which people carry torches and visit mountain tops where they plant crosses, hold prayer services and start bonfires.{{Cite web| last =EWTN news| title =World’s largest illuminated cross inaugurated in Lebanon| accessdate =2010-10-15| year =2010| url =http://www.ewtnnews.com/new.php?id=1646| archive-url =https://archive.today/20130122140309/http://www.ewtnnews.com/new.php?id=1646| url-status =dead| archive-date =2013-01-22}}{{Cite web | last = Al-Mustaqbal | script-title = ar:احتفال في بسكنتا لتبريك أكبر صليب مضاء في العالم | accessdate = 2010-10-15 | year = 2010 | url = http://www.almustaqbal.com/Stories.aspx?storyid=429212 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130118100732/http://www.almustaqbal.com/Stories.aspx?storyid=429212 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-01-18 | language = ar }}{{Cite web | last = Meedan | title = World's largest spotlit cross inaugurated in Lebanon as symbol of world unity | accessdate = 2010-10-15 | year = 2010 | url = http://news.meedan.net/index.php?page=events&post_id=306203 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719015922/http://news.meedan.net/index.php?page=events&post_id=306203 | archive-date = 2011-07-19 | url-status = dead }}{{Cite news | last = Kattar | first = Elias | title = صليبُ النور يشمخُ في سماﺀ بسكنتا... ويسامرُ ليلَ جرودها | work = al-Balad | accessdate = 2010-09-23 | date = 2010-09-14 | url = http://www.albaladonline.com/html/story.php?sid=119169 }}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Description
The cross is {{convert|73.8|m|ft}} tall (one tenth the height of mount Golgotha) and {{convert|37|m|ft}} wide. The cross's {{convert|8|m|ft}} deep base contains 500 cubic meters of concrete and 5 tons of steel, the cross's body itself is made up of 170 tons of steel and is lit by 1800 spotlights. Work on the monument started on 25 November 2008 and was done on 27 June 2010 and cost around 1.5 million USD mainly acquired through donations.{{Cite web | last = روسيا اليوم | script-title = ar:اضاءة أطول صليب في العالم في بلدة قناة باكيش اللبنانية | accessdate = 2010-10-15 | year = 2010 | url = http://rtarabic.com/news_all_news/54379 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130201141845/http://rtarabic.com/news_all_news/54379 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-02-01 | language = ar }} The cross is equipped with one ladder that allow visitors to access a {{convert|300|m2|sqft|sigfig=2}} platform located at its vertical beam.{{Cite news | title = بسكنتا تحتضن أطول صليب مضاء في العالم | work = as-Safir | accessdate = 2010-09-23 | date = 2010-09-14 | url = http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=1644&articleId=1337&ChannelId=38438 | archive-date = 2010-09-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100918141318/http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1337&EditionId=1644&ChannelId=38438 | url-status = live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://archive.today/20130213131016/http://terrededieu.jesuisopen.fr/page6.html Association Terre de Dieu]
{{Maronite Church}}
Category:Maronite Church in Lebanon
Category:Monuments and memorials in Lebanon