After Kreim, the Armenian Antonines built the monastery of St. Anthony of Padua in Gazir on the promontory of Beit-Khochbao. Construction began in 1753, on top of a steep slope overlooking the entire bay of Jounie. The seat of the Abbot General of the Armenian Antonine Order, is now the seat of the Lebanese Maronite Order, but retains its Armenian inscriptions carved into its stones.
Beit-Khochbao means in Syriac the place of meditation and tranquility, which reveals the existence of an earlier sanctuary. Promontories have been used as sacred sites in Lebanon since ancient times.
By its location and its architecture, the monastery of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue is much more imposing than that of Saint-Sauveur. Its church, added in 1820, is monumental and the buildings have a defensive appearance. As in Kreim, its courtyard is closed on all sides, not enjoying the view of the sea, which gives it an even more military appearance.
