College Notre Dame de Louaize

Since its establishment in 1695, the mission of the Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary (OMM) has been to minister Chirst to the Maronite Church, through sacraments and education. For more than three hundred years, the Maronite Mariamite monks (the Aleppines at that time) founded, in various Lebanese regions, schools in which they taught Syriac and Arabic languages, as well as the basics of arithmetic, thus contributing to the alphabetization campaign, and initiating youths to the service of the church and of society. Time after time this mission developed with the development of knowledge and science; and as teaching gradually became professional, these incidental schools became establishments with definite rules and regulations, an administration, teachers, and a definite program.

Notre Dame de Louaize, a Mariamite establishment founded at the beginning of the 60’s and occupying the eastern quarters of the convent, opened up ways to the boys of the neighborhood, after having limited itself to the formation of seminarists ever since the 30’s. In 1964-1965, the Mariamite monks built on the western side of the convent a two-floor block (demolished in 2003) to receive the students who had been particularly motivated.

In 1968, a new building, the French-medium school, was inaugurated to receive all the students. Thus NDL became a school that fulfilled all the requirements of the modern norms and comprised all levels, from Nursery to 3rd Secondary classes.

Today, enjoying a history of more than 40 years, NDL is preparing 4227 students to explore new horizons of plenty of promises. The school (area 40.000 sq m) constitutes one of the three sides of the Louaizean triangle: the Convent, the School and the University.

On the northern side of NDL, lies the monastery of the OMM with its rich patrimony: the Lebanese Council of 1736, whose most important recommendation was "compulsory learning for all"; the museum, with its rich collection of valuable objects belonging to MMO; and the library, comprising thousands of manuscripts and valuable books.

On the eastern side, parallel to NDL, lies the university, NDU, that has an important standing among the Lebanese and Arab universities. NDL consists of six blocks (area 10.851 sq m), separated by yards (4.000 sq m), open spaces (about 10.000 sq m), pinewoods, flower-beds and vast parking areas (25.000 sq m).

NDL is situated 15 km from Beirut city, at 100 m of altitude. It overlooks the Mediterranean on the west side, Nahr El Kalb with its famous historical sites on the south, the city of Geita on the east, and the two cities of Antoura and Zouk Mosbeh on the north. It can be reached from Beirut through the highway leading to Faraya, two kilometers from the tunnel of Nahr El Kalb.

2.020 enterprises (firms, clinics, offices, laboratories, bakeries, pharmacies, restaurants, cafés, hotels, spas, amusement centers, clubs, a museum, a school, a university, workshops, and factories working and producing: wood, aluminum, iron, furniture, food products, medicaments, etc.)

This wide range of diversity is a real source of wealth for NDL. It can be the object of research works and cultural activities, which can be achieved in collaboration with the local official authorities. Nevertheless, one cannot forget the damages that such demographic and industrial richness engenders on the environment and on public health. An awakening of the students on this issue is definitely required.

The history of NDL, its geographic location and the neighboring regions can contribute to the elaboration of a new educational approach, which has so far confined itself to the school premises, almost totally separated from the outside world. If our objective has always been to make our students succeed their exams, we are all now convinced that we have to work, according to the terms of the educational project, on the formation of a balanced human being, and on the development of the learner’s personality in a perpetually changing world. We have sensed therefore the urgent need of preparing our students to the confrontation of various situations, maintaining at the same time their balance and bloom.