Temple of VenusThe temple was later used as a church, dedicated to Saint... (Venus Temple)
January 01, 2019 by marwan.g.nassar
Temple of Venus
The temple was later used as a church, dedicated to Saint Barbara. According to the (comparatively late) Christian legend, she was the daughter of a Heliopolitan dignitary, Dioscorus, who still worshipped the old gods. When he learned that she had been baptized, he killed Barbara and was immediately struck by lightning. Up till the present day, Saint Barbara is invoked if people want to be protected against lightning, and it is possible that this is in fact a continuation of the ancient cult of Hadad.
Because the monument continued to be in use, the temple of Venus is comparatively well-preserved. Cult has continued on almost the same site, because there's still a small mosque next to the temple of Venus. The Greek-Orthodox church of Baalbek, which is close by, is still dedicated to Saint Barbara. .
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.📍Temple of Venus, Heliopolis, Baalbek, Lebanon 🇱🇧.
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