Communities
Alawite
The Alawites are a Muslim Shia subgroup. They have lived in Lebanon since at least the 16th century. They live mostly in the Jabal Mohsen neighbourhood of Tripoli and in the Akkar region, and presently have two reserved seats in the Parliament.
Armenian Catholic
The Armenian Catholic Church is one of the Eastern particular churches of the Catholic Church. They are in full communion with the Catholic Church in Rome. The head of the Church is the Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia, based at the Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator, in Beirut. In 1749, the Church built the convent in Bzoummar. During the Armenian Genocide in 1915-1918 large numbers of Armenian Catholics scattered in Lebanon and Syria. The Armenian Catholic community in Lebanon has 1 reserved seat in the Parliament.
Armenian Orthodox
Lebanon is home to more than 17 recognized Armenian Orthodox churches. During the 1915 Armenian Genocide, the home of the Catholicosate at the Monastery of St. Sophia of Sis was destroyed. Since 1930, the Catholicosate has been headquartered in Antelias. It is a regional See of the Armenian Orthodox Church and has jurisdiction over prelacies in Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, the Persian Gulf, the USA, Canada and Venezuela. The Armenian Orthodox community in Lebanon has 5 reserved seats in the Parliament.
