ABOUT US

The Romaïan Cultural Society (RCS) is a civil non-political and non-religious association. It is a non-profitable institution that aims to discover the legacy of the Romaïans (called erroneously Byzantines) in the Lebanon, the Levant and the world, to document, to analyze and to spread the cultural, moral and spiritual elements of the Romaïan heritage.

It also aims to create social and cultural links among all the Romaïan groups and peoples and support all individuals and institutions that belong to this rich civilization.

The RCS is a non-religious institution because it does not belong to the Church establishment and does not argue in the religious doctrines. Nonetheless, it supports Christianity and its social and moral values.

The RCS is a non-political institution because it does not support a political party, or an ideological doctrine, but it deeply believes that the rich Romaïan legacy creates a fertile base for building a perfect moral human society.

  • Who are the Romaians?
  • Elements of the Romaian Civilization
  • History of the Romaians before 1453
  • The Romaian World after 1453
  • The Romaians in the Contemporary World
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Our History

 

The Romaïan Cultural Society (RCS) was established in Lebanon in 2014, and obtained the official permit from the Lebanese Ministry for Interior Affairs in June 2014. The society is managed according to the Fundamental Bylaws and the Internal Bylaws approved by the founding steering board, and approved by the Lebanese Ministry for Interior Affairs. The General Assembly, which takes place annually and in exceptional cases, has the power to amend these two bylaws.

 

Every year, the RCS Administrative Board provides a detailed report on its work and on its achievements. This report includes a financial part and a budget that the General Assembly is supposed to approve, and to give a clearance to the Administrative Board.

 

Since its establishment, the RCS has accomplished many projects in the field of culture, in the spread of the Romaïan heritage, in honoring eminent outstanding persons, in reuniting the Romaïans and enhancing the sense of belonging. One of the most important goals of the society is to establish contacts between the Romaïans in all their countries and as expatriates. The RCS aims also to strengthen the Romaïan civilization in the world, to contribute to the service of humanity, to the Christian values, and to the Christian cause.

 

 

History of the Society

Establishment and Launching

 

The Romaïan Cultural Society was founded on the 25th of January 2014, and was officially recognized by the Lebanese Ministry of Internal Affaire on the 20th of June 2014.

A founding committee organized the society and finalized the necessary basic and internal regulations. It also called for the first general meeting that elected the first administrative board in June 2015. Since then, many cultural, social and commemorative activities took place and many new members adhered to the society. The number of the active members is, at present, 70.

1- The call for establishment of the Romaïan Cultural Society

Upon an invitation of the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League, on the 27th of September 2013, Professor Negib Geahchan MD presented, in the league’s premises in Achrafieh, a lecture entitled “A Journey in the Romaïan Heritage: History, Authenticity and Presence”. In this conference Negib Geahchan gave a comprehensive and thorough presentation of the ancient and recent history of the Romaïans and of their present influence in the world.

At the end of his lecture to which about 50 persons assisted, Negib Geahchan called for the establishment of a new cultural society that should have, as major aim, the exploration of the Romaïan heritage, its development and its awareness among the present and future generations of Romaïans.

A meeting of 18 interested members took place in Saint Catherine parish in Achrafieh (Beirut) with the blessings of Honorable Archimandrite Seraphim (Bardawil) on the 1st of November 2013. In this meeting, the headlines of the objectives that the society intends to achieve were discussed and approved. The attendees also asked Professor Geahchan to present the previous lecture of  the 27th of September in the premises of Zahret el Ihsan monastery, on the occasion of the patron saint (Saint Catherine) feast on the 25th of November 2013.

At the end of this second lecture to which around 70 persons assisted, Dr Geahchan called for the establishment of the Romaïan Cultural Society that aims to explore the Romaïan heritage, implement it and spread it among the present and future generations.

After two preparative meetings on the 4th and 11th of January 2014, a small committee, regrouping Aziz Geahchan, Rodrigue Khoury, Liliane Haddad, Fouad Saadeh and Negib Geahchan, worked on establishing the final objectives of the society, writing the fundamental laws, choosing the name of this gathering, establishing a list of the persons wishing to adhere to this society and preparing the official documents that should be presented to the Lebanese authorities.

The official launching of the Romaïan Cultural Society took place on the 25th of January 2014 on the feast day of Saint Gregory the Theologian, upon the signature of 16 members on the declaration of establishment and the membership form.

The final name, aims and emblem of the Society were adopted. The fundamental and internal bylaws were written, and a representative committee was elected to handle the society affairs while waiting for the official registration in the Lebanese state and the holding of the first general assembly. This transitory committee consisted of 5 members:

  • Dr Negib Geahchan, President
  • Mr Nicolas Nassif, Vice President
  • Dr Aziz Geahchan, responsible for the cultural program
  • Dr Fouad Saadeh, secretary
  • Mr Michel Bardawil, treasurer

The society was governed by a steering committee consisting of 16 adherent  members: Roland Khairallah, Nicolas Mokbel, Christina Geahchan, Edgard Slim, Negib Geahchan, Elie Geahchan, Aziz Geahchan, Michel Bardawil, Gabriel Saba, Nicolas Nassif, Irma Atoui Geahchan, Nicolas Geahchan, Mireille Araman Geahchan, Fouad Saadeh, Rodrigue Khoury et Marcel Paoli.

 

2- Activities of the Steering Committee and Reception of the official permit 

The Steering Committee started its activities upon the presentation of the demand to obtain the official permit. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Nohad Machnouq, signed the official permit on the 20th of June 2014, registered under the number 1195, and asked the Steering Committee to pursue its functions for one year until the first general assembly was held and an Administrative Board elected according to the fundamental and internal bylaws.

The Steering Committee achieved many activities while waiting for the official permit, amongst them are: visit to K. K. Elias (Kfoury) Metropolitan of Sidon, Tyr and Marjeyoun, visit to the Lebanese Orthodox Liqaa’ and meeting with its president former minister Mr. Marouan Abou Fadel, and a lecture about the history and present role of the Romaïans (given by Professor N. Geahchan in the premises of the Orthodox Liqaa’ in Achrafieh) in May, 2014

The Romaïan Cultural Society organized its first general meeting and conference on the 29th of May 2014, commemorating the martyrdom of Constantinople: It included 4 interventions by Professor Negib Geahchan (Constantinople and its role in the Romaïan heritage), Mr. Rodrigue Khoury (The History of the 29th of Mat 1453), Dr Souad Slim (Why we memorize this event?), and Archimandrite Seraphim Bardawil (The spiritual impact of this event).

The Steering Committee published a brochure to promote the Society and established its official emblem. A Facebook page was created, while waiting for the official permit to be granted.

3- Starting the activities and preparations for the first General Assembly

After obtaining the official permit from the Lebanese authorities, the Steering Committee continued its activities for about one complete year. It met the following eminent religious and social personalities: Metropolitans K. K. Elias (Audi), K. K. Georges (Khodr), and K. K. Costa (Kayal) and the Administrative Board of the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League.

Nine new members joined the society during this period and the Facebook page followers reached the 500 persons threshold.

A Cultural Committee was established and started its activities by several lectures presented in the amphitheaters of the municipality of Sin el Fil and the Annunciation Orthodox School in Achrafieh, after obtaining the blessings of Metropolitan Elias (Audi). Seven lectures were organized during this period and six DVDs were published.

A social committee was also established and its first activity was organizing a festive lunch on the occasion of the first anniversary of foundation of the RCS, on the 25th of January 2015 and another lunch on the 10th of May 2015 in Saint George Hotel, which was attended by 134 persons.

On the 29th of May 2015, a divine liturgy, attended by all the adherent members of the RCS, was celebrated by father Gabriel (Fiani) in the memory of the fall of Constantinople in Saint George Orthodox Church in Jdeideh (North Metn). 

 

4- The first Administrative Board

The first general assembly took place on the 6th of June 2015. It approved the report presented by the Steering Committee, and a clearance was granted to the treasurer Mr. Michel Bardawil.

In this assembly, an Administrative Board was elected by acclamation, composed of 7 members: Jacques Mokhbat, Nicolas Nassif, Negib Geahchan, Michel Bardawil, Roland Khairallah, Aziz Geahchan and Nicolas Mokbel. The Article 14 of the Internal Bylaws was amended as following: The annual fee of the members aged ≤ 30 years was reduced to 30,000 Lebanese Pounds and free membership was granted to the honorary members.

The new Administrative Board presided by Professor Negib Geahchan achieved many projects during its 3 years mandate. (The general Assembly reports can be read separately):

  • Two cultural and recreational trips, annually, to different regions in Lebanon, discovering many natural, cultural and historical wonders. Between 50 and 80 persons participated in each trip.
  • Three to 5 cultural lectures were organized each year in the cities of Beirut and Tripoli.
  • The organization of an annual lunch on the 25th of January, date of the official establishment of the Romaïan Cultural Society. On the same occasion, an eminent Romaïan figure is honored for his or her beneficial deeds to the general society. Dr Layla Badr (archeologist), Dr Assaad Rizk (surgeon and former minister), Dr Elias Rahbani (music composer and artist) and Dr Mounir Abou-Assaly (Former dean and chemist) were honored consecutively on 2016,2017, 2018 and 2019.
  • The creation of the Golden  Registry  for   the Deceased  Romaian Outstanding Persons. Each year,  on the 29th of May, date of the fall of Constantinople, the Romaïan Cultural Society honors eminent deceased figure or figures. The following persons were added to the registry: Dr Ernest Majdalani (pediatrician), the deceased governors of Beirut, Nicolas Rizkallah, Georges Assi, Bachour Haddad, Philip Boulos, Emile Yanni, Chafic Abou Haidar, Mitri Nammar and Georges Samaha.
  • Participation in meetings organized by the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League. The aim was to strengthen the interrelations between the Romaïans in Lebanon and the Levant. The committee was named “Lebanese Romaïan Orthodox Coordination Committee” (LEBROCC).
  • Participation in many scientific and media conferences organized by the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League and the National Orthodox Council that treated the presence of the Orthodox in Lebanon and a TV episode that was organized by the MTV on Easter 2018.

At the end of the mandate of the first Administrative Board, the affiliated members to the society reached 57 persons, including four honorary members, who were H.E. Archimandrite Seraphim (Bardawil), former Minister Nicolas Sihnaoui, former governor of Beirut, engineer Nicolas Saba, and the current governor of Beirut Judge Ziad Chebib.

 

5- The Second Administrative Board

On June 9, 2018, the Romaïan Cultural Society held its annual General Assembly, and elected a new Administrative Board composed of Jacques Emile Mokhbat, Roland Elias Khairallah, Michel Elias Abs,, Diana Ihsan Bitar, Negib Elias Geahchan, Nicolas Toufic Mokbel, and Nicolas Michel Nassif. This meeting included an internal conference, to which were invited all the members of the association, at the Marjan Palace Hotel (Jounieh). This conference issued important recommendations that are used by the new Administrative Body in its meetings and activities.

This second Administrative Board, which elected Professor Negib Geahchan as its president and Professor Jacques Mokhbat as vice president, followed up on the projects that had been initiated by the first Administrative Board (see the reports of the annual General Assemblies elsewhere), and added to it, until now, an annual scientific conference held around the 29th of May every year.

The subject of the first scientific conference, hold on the first of June 2019, was “the Educational Renaissance of the Romaïans of Lebanon in the nineteenth century”. The conference was presided by Professor Mounir Abou-Assaly who has been previously honored by the society, on the 25th of January, 2019, as an eminent Romaïan figure. During the conference, Dr Abou-Assaly was also chosen as an honorary member of the society.

History of the Society

The Fundamental Bylaws

The Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society define the objectives, the role of the constituent organs and committees and the temporary location of the RCS.

These Bylaws also define and explain the role of the General Assembly and the Administrative Board and the procedures of electing the latter, as well as the modalities and conditions of adhering to the Romaïan Cultural Society.

They also define the procedures of modification of the statute and of the dissolution of the Society.

Article 1

A legal Society was founded in the Lebanese Republic, named “The Romaïan Cultural Society” which is a non-profit cultural institution,

Article 2: Premises

The temporary location of the Society is in Beirut, Achrafieh-1 sector, property number 2160 (Division 7). Owners: Elie Negib Geahchan, Nicolas Negib Geahchan and Christina Negib Geahchan. 

Article 3: Aims of the Romaian Cultural Society

The Aims of the Romaïan Cultural Society are:

– Exploring the cultural and moral values of the Romaian heritage and spreading them.

– Creating cultural and social communication links to help the interaction between the different Romaïan groups

– Founding of local and international cultural institutions and supporting the church and its institutions

– Highlighting the individual and group potentials and honoring them.  

The above aims should be attained according to the currently applied rules and regulations, and after the consent of the concerned official authorities.

Article 4: Resources of the Romaïan Cultural Society 

The RCS financial resources consist of:

  • The members’ yearly fees
  • The government’s assistance
  • Donations and testaments

These fund should be used to achieve the goals of the RCS.

Article 5: The Structure of the Romaïan Cultural Society.

It consists of three bodies:

  • A General Assembly: constituted of all adherent members
  • An Administrative Board : representing the Society and administering it according to the applied bylaws, rules and regulations
  • An Honorary Board: regrouping notable clerical and laity personalities who have demonstrated a particular attachment to the Romaïan culture and are renowned for their social and cultural accomplishments.

The functions and privileges of the above structures are defined in the internal bylaws

Article 6: Groups and Committees 

The Internal bylaws authorize the creation and nomination of internal groups and committees, with identification of their members, as well as the procedures of electing or appointing them.

Article 7:  Adhesion to the Romaïan Cultural Society

The person who wishes to join the Society should:

  1. Be a Lebanese national and be at least 20 years old
  2. Enjoy all his civil rights and not convicted of a felony or an infamous misconduct
  3. Accept all the bylaws of the RCS and aim to reach its goals

Article 8: Procedure of Adhesion to the Society

  • The candidate wishing to join the RCS should present a written demand, and join to it a photocopy of his Identity Card and a clean judiciary record 
  • The demand is referred to the Administrative Board accompanied with a written adoption by two members of the Society
  • The demand is approved by the Administrative Board after verifying that all the documents are legal and the decision should be voted by the majority.
  • The Honorary members of the Society are chosen by the Administrative Board after a majority vote.  

Article 9: General Assembly 

The General Assembly consists of all the active members affiliated to the Society. Its mission, procedures, rules and regulations are detailed in the internal bylaws.

Article 10:  Administrative Board  

The Administrative Board is constituted of 7 members elected by secret ballot for 3 years. Is required a quorum of more than half the number of the active members who paid the Society’s membership fees of the previous years.

In case the quorum was not assured, another session will be decided a week later and the vote will be legal with any number of attendees.

The three oldest members of the General Assembly, in case they are not candidates, should conduct the voting session.

Article 11: Information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Bureau of political and electoral affairs)

 A copy of the proceedings of the voting session, a list of the candidates names and the vote count, signed by the three oldest society members who conducted the session must be sent to the Lebanese Political and Electoral Affairs Bureau in the” Directorate-general for political affairs and refugees (Ministry of Internal Affairs).

Article 12: Administrative posts in the Administrative Board

 In the span of 3 days after the voting session, the newly elected members of the Administrative Board, presided by the oldest member, should meet and design a president, a vice president, a secretary general, a treasurer and a representative of the society in the government affairs.

One member may have a maximum of two posts, except the post of financial decisions and money spending. The Internal Bylaws determine the functions of the Administrative Board and those of each of its members. 

Article 13: The Period of Establishment 

The founders of the Society should act as an Administrative Board (Steering Committee) for a period of one year after the date of the license granted by the official authorities. At the end of this period, an Administrative Board should be elected. 

Article 14:  Early Administrative Board elections

Upon the proposal of one third of the Administrative Board members and its approval of at least two thirds, the Administrative Board can call for an early election before the expiry period of the Board. A similar decision could be taken by the General Assembly upon the demand of 20% of its members and the approval of two thirds.

Article 15: Dissolution of the Society

In addition to the legal conditions stated in the Official Laws concerning the Civil Associations, the dissolution of the Society can take place upon a demand decided by the General Assembly and signed by at least 75% of the members.

Article 16: Amendment of the Fundamental Bylaws

The amendment of the Fundamental Bylaws can be decided by the assembly of all the founding members. Later on, the General Assembly can amend the bylaws upon the proposition of the Administrative Board or upon the proposal of 20% of its members. The amendment becomes legal after the approval of at least two thirds of the active members and after notifying the Lebanese Directorate-general for political affairs and refugees.

Article 17

In case of the dissolution of the Society, two thirds of its assets are transferred to the Romaïan Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East and one third to the Romaïan Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East.

History of the Society

Internal Bylaws

The Internal Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society (RCS) consist of 20 articles, and aim to define the composition and terms of reference of each of the three bodies of the Society: General Assembly, Honorary Board and Administrative Board. They describe their composition and the conditions of belonging to them.

In what concerns the Administrative Board, the Internal Bylaws define the powers of the president, vice president, secretary general and treasurer. They define also the procedure of establishing the committees, their privileges and the possibilities of resignation from them and from the Society. They also give details of the SRCS’s finances and of the annual fees.

Article 1: The General Assembly

All the effective members of the Romaïan Cultural Society constitute collectively the General Assembly.

Article 2: Meetings of the General Assembly

The periodic meetings take place once a year, or, exceptionally, if the president calls for a meeting upon the demand of the Administrative Board or of 10% of the General Assembly.

Article 3: Powers of the General Assembly

  1. Electing of the Administrative Committee by a secret ballot
  2. Receiving the reports presented by the Administrative Board and discussing its realized achievements and its future projects 
  3. Presenting suggestions and recommendations to the Administrative Board 
  4. Discussing the annual budget and the budget endorsement of the previous year
  5. Amending of the bylaws of the CRS

Article 4: The Administrative Board

It consists of seven members, elected by the general assembly by secret ballot. The Quorum is complete when more than half of the active members are present. Only the members who paid the annual subscription ten days prior to the date of the elections can vote.

In case of unachieved quorum, the elections cycle takes place a week later and is legal regardless of the number of attendees. 

Article 5: Elections of the Administrative Board

  1. The Administrative Board is elected every 3 years.
  2. The election date is determined by the Administrative Board at least one month prior to the expiry of its mandate.
  3. The election results are announced immediately after counting the votes. The winners are the 7 members who get the highest count and   the 3 members that follow are considered replacing members.
  4. If two or more candidates are equal in the number of votes, the oldest candidate in his affiliation to the society is considered the winner. If they are equal in the duration of their affiliation, the older candidate is elected.
  5. In case of acclamation, the newly elected Board, during its first meeting, chooses three replacing members on condition that they approve it.

Article 6: Voting list 

One month prior to the election, the Administrative Board publishes, in the society premises, the list of the voters, and objections to it are accepted until one week prior to the election date.

Article 7: Candidacy

The candidacy is presented to the Administrative Board who should check the required conditions. The list of the candidates is published 10 days prior to the election date. Objections to it are accepted until a week before the election date. Past this date, the list becomes final.

 Article 8: Vacancies in the Administrative Board

In case one or more posts become vacant in the Administrative Board, one of the replacing members is assigned to the vacant post, for the remaining time of the Board. In case half the places or more become vacant, the Administrative Board is considered dissolved and a call for a new election in one month period is published.

Article 9:  Meetings of the Administrative Board

The Board meets on monthly basis; exceptional meetings may take place upon the call of the president for discussing specific subjects.

Article 10: Procedures of the Administrative Board meetings

  1. The quorum for the meeting of the Administrative Board requires more than half of the members.
  2. The meeting starts by the reading and the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
  3. The decisions are taken by the majority of the present members, and, in case of equal votes, the president will favor one of them. 

Article 11: Positions within the Administrative Board

  1. The president of the Administrative Board:
  1. Presides the Society and its three bodies. 
  2. Schedules the meetings of these three bodies, defines the subjects to be discussed, together with the Secretary General of the Society, and conveys them to the concerned members.
  3. Presides the meetings of the General Assembly, the Administrative Board and the Honorary Board and supervises the activities of the different committees
  4. Signs, with the Secretary General, all the administrative correspondence and, with the Treasurer, all the remittances.
  5. Has the power, according to this law, to convey the three bodies to exceptional meetings.
  1. The vice president:

             Replaces the president in his absence. 

  1. The Secretary General:
  1. Organizes and keeps the minutes and decisions of the meetings of the General Assembly, the Administrative Board and the Honorary Board. 
  2. Receives all the correspondence and answers it after discussion with the President.
  3. Sends the invitations and informs the concerned members of the decisions taken.
  4. Replaces the treasurer when absent. 
  1. The treasurer:
  1. Is responsible for all the movable and immovable properties of the Society.
  2. Supervises the financial status of the society.
  3. Collects the annual fees and gives numbered receipts.
  4. Presides the financial committee that controls the finances of the RCS. 
  5. Collects all the inward payments, transfers and bonds.
  6. Performs the financial calculations of the previous year and the budget of the coming year. 
  1. The other members:

          They are assigned as presidents of other potential committees.

 Article 12: Honorary board

This board is composed of all the valuable persons who were chosen and included by the Administrative Board in this category as well as the former presidents of the Society. All of them dispose of a life membership. The function of this Board is limited to the discussion of reports presented by the Administrative Board, of the minutes of the General Assembly, and of the achievements and projects realized by the RCS, without having a right to impose decisions.

Article 13: The committees

  1. The Administrative Board names the presidents of the committees. The designed presidents choose the members and propose them to the Board where they are definitely designated.
  2. Each committee has a vice president and a secretary general chosen during its first meeting
  3. Each active member of the society has the right to be a member in the committees and any member can be chosen for one or more committees. 
  4. The nomination of each committee lasts until the end of the Administrative Board that had designed it.
  5. Each committee prepares the projects reporting to its specialty, and proposes them to the Administrative Board. It executes them after the approval of the Administrative Board.
  6. The president of the Society can call for single or common meetings of the committees when he deems necessary.
  7. If necessary and in special cases, sub-committees can be instituted for a limited time, and their mandate should end with the end of the mission.

Article 14: The finance of the Society 

The annual fee of membership in the Society is 100,000 Lebanese Pounds.

Article 15: Spending the funds

The Administrative Board must approve any financial spending. Exceptionally, the president can order the spending of a sum of money inferior to 1,000,000 Lebanese Pounds, but should obtain the consent of the Administrative Board in its first consequent meeting.

Article 16: Approval of Money spending

The President and Administrative Board must approve on any fund spent by the treasurer from the Society’s money.

Article 17:  Money Deposit in the Banks

Each sum exceeding 1,000,000 Lebanese Pounds must be deposited in the bank approved by the Administrative Board.

Article 18: The penalties

  1. A disciplinary board consisting of at least two members of the Administrative Board is instituted by the latter board, after its election, and has to deal with all the disciplinary matters.
  2. If any member of the Society defies the rules or harms the society morally or materially, he should be referred to the disciplinary board by the Administrative Board.
  3. The disciplinary board discusses the charges and the punishments that apply, and conveys his suggestions to the Administrative Board. The latter studies the subject and his decision of punishment is taken by the approval of two thirds of the members.
  4. The member subject to the punishments has the right to object the decision during a period of 15 days after his notification.

 Article 19: The resignations of members

  1. A member is considered resigned from the Society when:
  1. He loses any of the affiliation rules
  2. He does not attend 4 consecutive sessions of the General Assembly without a valid excuse
  3. He does not pay the annual affiliation fee for 3 consecutive years

     The above rules apply to all the members including the Administrative Board members.

  1. A member is considered resigned from the Administrative Board if he does not attend 3 consecutive meetings of the Board without a valid reason. A written warning is forwarded to him   before the resignation.
  2. Any member can resign from the Administrative Board or a committee by writing a resignation letter sent to the Administrative Board. The Board can accept or refuse the resignation in a delay period of 15 days. Otherwise, the non-reply by the Administrative Board is considered as an approval. The resigned person does not lose his membership in the General Assembly unless he mentions this in his resignation letter.

Article 20: Amendment of the Internal Bylaws

The founding Administrative Board (Steering Committee) can amend, unanimously, these bylaws. Later on, the General Assembly can amend the rules by a majority vote, upon the demand of the Administrative Board, or upon the demand of 20% of the members of the General Assembly.

On the 6th of June 2015, article 14 was amended by the General Assembly, as following:

Article 14: The finance of the Society (amended on the 6th of June 2015) 

  1. The annual membership fee for the Society members over 30 year old is 100.000 Lebanese Pounds.
  2. The annual fee is 30.000 L.L. for students and members under 30 year old, without a professional work.
  3. All the honorary members of the Society are exempted from the annual fee.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SOCIETY

Until December 2019

The Romaïan Cultural Society realized several achievements during the five years that followed its establishment in the year 2014. These achievements can be distributed over several fields, namely cultural symposia, conferences, recreational cultural trips, honoring living endowed persons, establishing the Golden Registry to honor deceased endowed figures, media meetings, publishing and participating in activities aiming the unity of the Romaïan peoples, etc.


1: Cultural Seminars

These are scientific lectures given by experts, specialists and persons familiar with subjects related to the Romaïan culture. The society organized these seminars in the city of Beirut, the city of Tripoli, the monastery of Mar Elias Shwaya (Lebanon), the University of Balamand and the town of Kfar-Aqqa (Koura). The presented topics were until the end of 2019:

  1. A tour of the Romaïan Heritage
  2. The Antiochian Romaïan Church Music
  3. Healthcare in the Christian Romaïan Levant
  4. Healthcare in Romaïan Constantinople
  5. The Romaïans after 1453: Eastern Dilemmas and Influences
  6. The Romaïans after 1453: Western Dilemmas and Influences
  7. Religious sites in Greece: Pilgrimage and Tourism
  8. The Origins and Development of Religious Architecture in the Christian Levant
  9. The Personal Status Laws of Christians in the East
  10. Constantinople, the Capital of the Romaïans
  11. Fourth Crusade of 1204
  12. The Orthodox Youth Movement: a Renaissance Phenomenon and a Sustainable Heritage
  13. The Romaïan Demography in Lebanon

14- Legacy of John Romanides in the Renaissance of the Romaïan world

  1. Human and Moral Holocausts of the Twentieth Century in Antioch and Cilicia (two seminars)
  2. God’s Wonders in His People (1): The Apostle Paul
  3. The Lord’s Feasts in the Church: A Journey to God’s Heart
  4. Baalbek, the Christian city of the Sun
  5. Religious Sites in Ancient Romaïan Beirut (two seminars)
  6. God’s Wonders in His People (2): Constantine the Great
  7. The Seven Ecumenical Councils
  8. The Ancient Medical achievements of the Romaïans
  9. The Golden Eras of the Romaïan Civilization before 1453

2: Conferences

In the spring of 2019, the Romaïan Cultural Society began organizing an annual scientific conference aimed at unveiling the Romaïan heritage in the Lebanon, the Levant and the world, with the participation of specialists and experts in the scientific topics that the conference addresses.

The first of these conferences was on June 1, 2019, and its subject was: The Educational Renaissance of the Romaïans of Lebanon in the Nineteenth Century. It was chaired by Professor Mounir Abou Assali, and it aimed to describe the educational renaissance that led to the establishment of a large number of national Romaïan Orthodox and Catholic schools, and about forty Russian schools with direct support from the Russian “Orthodox Palestinian Imperial Society”.

3: Recreational cultural trips

Soon after its establishment, the society created a Committee for Social Affairs. One of its goals was to organize recreational cultural trips to various Lebanese regions, to introduce the participants to the Christian and Romaïan heritage in the Levant, and to discover the natural beauties of these areas. Each excursion includes a fraternal lunch and social encounters. The number of participants in the trips gradually increased to settle around seventy participants. To date, the Committee has organized the following trips:

  1. The city of Douma (Batroun) 2014
  2. The city of Deir El Qamar and El Chouf (2015)
  3. The Monastery of Our Lady of Kaftoun, Enfeh, and Lake Bnachei (2015)
  4. The City of Tripoli and the Monastery of Our Lady of Kaftain (2016)
  5. The village of Maghdouche, The city of Tyre, and the villages of Naqoura and Qana (2016)
  6. The villages of Menjez, Shedra and Qobayat in Akkar (2017).
  7. East Bekaa Region: Anjar, Aita al-Fukhar and Rashaya  al-Wadi (2017)
  8. Al-Danniyeh Region: Qasr Al-Ahlam in Bakhoun, Hakl El Azimeh and Al-Zahlan Cave (2018)
  9. Region of Al-Metn El-Aala and village of Ksara: Monastery of Mar Elias Chouia, Mtein Town, Ksara Winery (2018)
  10. Lower Batroun Mountains: Rachana, Samarjbeil, Monastery of Mar Youssef Grebta, Monastery of the Two Saints Kyprianos and Justina, Bijdarfel Town, Nabu Museum in Heri (2019)
  11. The city of Mina (Tripoli), Badr Hassoun Eco Village, and the Monastery of Our Lady of Nouriyeh (2019)

4: Honoring the living Endowed Persons

In the first year of its mandate, the first Administrative Board established a committee to honor endowed Romaïan persons who are still alive. This committee decided to honor annually these persons, on the anniversary of the founding of the society on January 25th. To date, the society has awarded the following creators:

– Professor Leila Badr, an archaeologist, and chairperson of the American University of Beirut Museum (2016)

– Professor Asaad Rizk, Surgeon, Minister and Director of Rizk Hospital in Beirut (2017)

– Dr. Elias Rahbani, the great Lebanese artist and composer (2018)

– Professor Mounir Abou Assali, founder of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Lebanese University, and President of the Educational Center for Research and Development (2019)

5: Establishing the Golden Registery of the Deceased Endowed Persons

In 2015, the Romaïan Cultural Society established the Golden Registry of the Deceased Romaïan Endowed Persons. The draft states, “He (or she) is classified creator and his (her) name deserves to be written in the Registry everyone who has submitted to his (her) church, community, country, or humanity a distinctive work characterized by uniqueness, courage, invention, and social service without any excessive material or moral personal gain. “

The Committee for Honoring the Endowed Persons started choosing the persons to whom these characteristics apply, and the result was as follows:

  1. Professor Ernest Majdalani(2016) who is the founder of pediatrics in Lebanon, and has white hands over thousands of children in Lebanon

2.The deceased former governors of Beirut (since the Lebanese State independence in 1943) (2017), namely Nicolas Rizkallah, Georges Assi, Bashour Haddad, Philippe Boulos, Emile Yanni, Chafiq Abu Haidar, Mitri Nammar and Georges Samaha.

  1. 3. Alexis Boutros(2018), founder of the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA)
  2. The pioneers of the Romaïan educational Renaissance in Lebanonin the 19th century (2019)

6: Media activities

The Romaïan Cultural Society established, since 2014, a page on Facebook, gradually attracting an increasing number of followers: the number reached about 1,600 persons at the end of 2019.

The society acquired a domain to build an electronic page on it: www.romaion.org

On every social occasion, such as honoring the living and deceased endowed persons, the organizers of the events participated in TV and media programs explaining the goals of our association and its cultural and social activities. Among the most prominent of these television appearances was the participation of the President of the Society, Dr. Negib Geahchan, in a large TV program on Romaïan Heritage and Legacy in Lebanon, on the occasion of the 2018 Holy Easter, prepared by MTV station and presented by Mrs. Dolly Ghanem.

Lebanese newspapers have repeatedly published reports on the activities and social events of the Romaïan Cultural Society, and on the first scientific conference organized by the society on June 1st , 2019.

7: Publishing

To date, the Society has published 17 DVDs, each of which is devoted to a cultural conference from the list published elsewhere, and the DVD is sold at $ 10.

Other DVDs were also published documenting the awarding events for honoring the Romaïan Endowed Persons: Dr. Elias Rahbani, Professor Mounir Abou Assali, the founders of the Romaïan schools in Lebanon in the nineteenth century and the late Beirut Governors.

The association also published, on You-Tube, many speeches and interventions presented in cultural seminars and social gatherings, which can be watched on the Society’s Facebook page.

7: the unification of the Romaians 

The Romaïan Cultural Society sought, from the beginning, to unite the Romaïans in Lebanon, and invited all associations and leagues to participate in its symposia, conferences, celebrations and events.

At the invitation of the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League, the Romaïan Cultural Society participated in the founding of the Group of Orthodox Associations and Leagues in Lebanon, called LEBROCC, in setting ten targets for joint action aiming, in the first place, to strengthen the bonds between the Romaïans in Lebanon and the Levant.

Responding to two independent invitations from the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League and the National Orthodox Council, Dr. Negib Geahchan participated in two major meetings that tackled the presence of the Romaïans in Lebanon, and presented two scientific interventions on the Romaïan demography of Lebanon.

The Society had several meetings with the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Lebanese League, the Orthodox Youth Movement, the Lebanese Orthodox Liqaa’, the Lebanese Greek Catholic Association, the Levant Party and other associations and leagues.

Our Philosophy

 

After three centuries of apostolic preaching, during which thousands of apostles and holy saints were martyred, the faith in Christ spread throughout the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine the Great, equal to the Apostles, succeeded in unleashing the freedom of religious belief and dedicated his power to serve the Holy Church. He called for the first ecumenical council in the city of Nicaea in the year 325. Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman Empire to the new city which he established in the ancient site of Byzantium, and called it New Rome. 

 

From the fourth century onwards, the old Roman Empire became, while evolving, the Romaïan state (erroneously called Byzantine) that lasted until the fifteenth century. This steadfast empire built, through eleven centuries, a great Christian civilization, characterized by the priority accorded to faith and moral values, and by the primacy of the spirit of peace and the concept of universalism over military conquests and national racism. This civilization enhanced the church institution, the artistic and architectural creativity and the literature and fine arts achievements. 

 

After the martyrdom of Constantinople in 1453, the descendants of the Romaïans and their heirs in the East, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Greece and the Balkans clung to this distinctive Christian civilization and preserved it despite the numerous occupations, persecutions, intellectual and religious conquests, and defended their faith. Their influence extended to the Slavic peoples and all the countries of Eastern Europe, which became new sources of orthodox belief and of distinctive cultural creativity comparable to the previous achievements in the ancient Romaïan Empire. 

 

The Romaïan Cultural Society, founded in 2014, seeks the embodiment of this unique civilization in the intellectual, cultural, spiritual, educational, artistic and scientific activities designed to promote a sense of belonging in the Romaïan universal societies. 

 

The RCS hopes to familiarize the descendants and heirs of the Romaïans with the heritage of their ancestors, to revive their rich civilization and to spread it in all the communities where they reside, so that the future of Romanity will be bright and the Christian faith will remain firm and steadfast.

 

 

Our Philosophy

Who are the Romaians?

The Romaïan civilization was established at the beginning of the fourth century by a mixture of the Christian Apostolic Evangelization and the Greco-Roman civilization that surrounded the Mediterranean sea and characterized the Roman Empire. This new mixture happened after the great persecutions suffered by the Christians, ordered by the Roman Emperors, and executed by their agents all around this great empire. The persecuted Christians met these persecutions with patience and love and offered thousands of holy martyrs. 

Constantine I the Great played a decisive role in establishing this new Romaïan civilization, by transforming the Roman society into a new imperial state which embraced and developed Christianity, refined its creeds and cemented its traditions. The peoples of this empire were, thereafter, called the “Nation of the Romans” and their descendants are called the “Romaians or Neoromans” keeping a great deal of adherence to the millenary civilization of their ancestors. 

  • The Roman Empire alone was the ancient civilized world
  • The Christian Evangelization spread throughout the Roman Empire
  • Constantine the Great radically changed the orientations of the Roman state
  • Constantine’s vision was the beginning of the Christian Romaian Empire

The Roman Empire alone was the ancient civilized world

In the first century AD, the Roman state controlled all of the Mediterranean and the countries that surrounded it. This state fused the populations of these country in a homogeneous civilization and brought them together under one central military and political authority. The civilized world was then restricted almost exclusively to this pagan empire. The Latin language of Rome was the official language of this state, but the Greek language remained, in the Roman Empire, the language of science, culture and religion, because the Hellenic civilization preceded the emergence of Rome by many centuries, and the Greek language stored the great Hellenic heritage.

The Christian Evangelization spread throughout the Roman Empire

Between the first and third centuries, after Jesus’ call to them and the advent of the Holy Spirit, the holy Apostles set out for all nations, meaning mainly all the countries of the Roman Empire, and the Gospel received great acceptance in the capital, Rome, and in all regions, especially the Levant, West Anatolia, Egypt and North Africa. But, the peaceful spread of Christianity aroused the anger of the Pagans, and threatened the authority of the Roman emperors based on idolatry. The Roman authorities often pursued a repressive policy towards Christians, and thousands of them were martyred, especially in the third and early fourth centuries. However, Christians never faced persecution with violence. Rather, they resisted it with faith, hope, and serenity; all of these paved the way for later Christianity’s victory.

Constantine the Great changed radically the orientations of the Roman state

In the year 312, while Caesar Constantine was fighting with his enemies for the government of the Roman state, he had a vision of the Christ telling him to raise the cross over his flags. Constantine did so, quickly won successive battles, and finally becoming the unique ruler of the entire Roman Empire. His greatest two achievements were the creation of a new capital on the Bosphorus Straits that he called New Rome, and the organization and unification of the Christian Church by the first Ecumenical Council to which he invited all the Christian bishops, and that took place in Nicaea. The Council promulgated the Credo, a declaration of faith that is recited in every Divine Liturgy.

Constantine’s vision was the beginning of the Christian Romaïan Empire

Constantine’s vision of the Cross was a miracle which had, consequently, changed the fate of the Roman Empire. The latter started a gradual and peaceful transformation becoming a Christian state: the Christian spiritual heritage and the Roman civilization melted together, creating the new Romaïan (Neoroman) civilization. This civilization remains evident to this day in the Christian populations of the Mediterranean basin and the world. These populations, linked culturally to this illustrious empire, are called Romaïans in reference to its capital, New Rome, that was renamed Constantinople, in honor and respect  of its founder.

 

 

Map of the historical Romaïan civilization in 555

 

 

Map of the Romaïan civilization in our present time

Our Mission & Vision

 

The Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society has defined the mission of this association as follows, hoping to achieve them in all countries, regions and human collectivities:

  • Unveil, promote and disseminate the Romaïan cultural heritage.
  • Encourage the sense of belonging to the Romaïan civilization and spread the human and moral values that emerge from it.
  • Highlight the creativity in the Romaïan civilization and honor the endowed persons.
  • Bring the Romaïans in the world together, based on the unity of their culture and of their spiritual and human values.

 

Mission

On January 25th, 2014, the Romaïan Cultural Society was founded by a number of persons full of zeal, believing in the Romaïan legacy carried by their forefathers and grandfathers for centuries, to which they deeply clung, despite persecution, difficulties and hard times. They feared that the present generations were losing their commitment to the Church and their connection to the Romaïan heritage and were becoming unaware of its content. That is why they advocated the establishment of the Romaïan Cultural Society. This association should become a scientific, non-profit and non-political, and it would never interfere in matters of faith and ecclesiastical affairs.

The mission of the Romaïan Cultural Society includes the following:

  1. Spread a sense of belonging to the rich and universal Romaïan civilization
  2. Explore the ancient and contemporary Romaïan heritage, and spread it in all ways and means
  3. Unify the Romaïans and unite their powers and institutions in the world
  4. Highlight the energies, talents, and accomplishments of the Romaïans
  5. Support spiritual life togetjher with social, cultural and economic life

Vision

The Romaian Cultural Society aspires to achieve the following:

  • To explore the Romaïan cultural heritage in Lebanon (from where we started), in the Levant and the world, documenting, analyzing and disseminating it by all available means and methods.
  • To introduce the Romaïan culture, heritage, ethics and values to various Romaïan countries, societies and social classes.
  • To contribute to the establishment of the frameworks of cultural, social and spiritual communication between Romaïan communities, peoples and institutions, and to promote this communication in support of the shared Romaïan cultural identity and universalism. 
  • To support, document, organize and coordinate the Romaïan cultural activities, including scientific, artistic, literary and social activities, with the participation of individuals, groups, associations, leagues, and churches. 
  • To encourage the establishment of local, national and international cultural institutions aimed at developing the Romaïan culture and the sense of belonging and identity
  • To support the efforts of the Church institutions and encourage the spiritual life, the peoples’ participation in the institutions of the Church and the preservation of the steady historical “symphonia” between the spiritual and temporal lives of the Romaïans.
  • To unveil and highlight the individual and institutional talents of the Romaïans and encourage, unite and honor it in Lebanon, the Levant and the world.
  • To foster, in the Romaïan spirit, a sense of cultural belonging and unity and to defend their presence in the society and the state.
  • To disseminate the Romaïan culture, heritage, values and ethics in the world and seek to activate their application in human societies making the Romaïans messengers of love and peace.
  • To find spiritual, material, social and political support for the threatened, persecuted, and vulnerable groups of Romaïan communities, institutions, legacy and monuments threatened in our world.

Permanent Committees

 

The actual regulations of the Romaïan Cultural Society provide for the establishment of an Administrative Board, elected by and from the General Assembly every three years. It manages the affairs of the society and supervises its activities. 

The regulations also provide for the institution of permanent committees by the Administrative Board that are asked to organize and implement the work of the society, and to report on it to the Administrative Board. 

The society currently has a cultural committee, a social committee, a committee to honor endowed persons, and other professional and regional committees.

Permanent Committees

Administrative Committee

The affairs of the Romaïan Cultural Society are managed by an elected Administrative Board, which meets periodically, takes administrative decisions by voting, and publishes internal reports that are successively sent to members. The Founding Steering Committee of the society played this role until the election of the first Administrative Board in June 2015.

Its Composition and Goals

The Administrative Board represents and manages the society in accordance with its regulations and within the laws in force, as it appears in Article Five of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society.

The Administrative Board consists of seven members who are elected by the General Assembly and by secret ballot. Is required, for the completion of the quorum of the election session, the attendance of more than half of the members of the General Assembly who had paid their annual fees for all civil years preceding the year during which the polling takes place. The mandate of the Administrative Board is three years. (Article X)

The elected Administrative Board shall meet, within a period of time not exceeding three days, under the chairmanship of the oldest member, and choose from among its members, a president, a vice president, a secretary general, a treasurer, and a delegate of the society to the Lebanese authorities. (Article XII of the Fundamental Bylaws)

The Administrative Board holds ordinary meetings every month. It is also permitted to hold extraordinary meetings, at the invitation of the president, to discuss and decide on the specific issues mentioned in the convocation. (Article IX of the rules of procedure)

All attributions of the Administrative Board are set out in the bylaws. 

Elected Administrative Boards since the Establishment of the Society in 2014

  • One year after the establishment of the Romaïan Cultural Society on January 25th of 2014, and its acquiring of the official permit from the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior on June 11th, 2014, the General Assembly met on June 6th, 2015, and elected the first Administrative Board. The latter was composed of Negib Elias Geahchan, Nicolas Michel Nassif, Michel Charles Bardawil, Aziz Elias Geahchan, Roland Elias Khairallah, Nicola Toufic Mokbel and Jacques Emile Mokhbat.

The roles within this Administrative Board were distributed as follows:

  1. Professor Negib Geahchan: President
  2. Professor Jack Mokhbat: Vice President
  3. Engineer Nicolas Nassif: Delegate of the society to the government, and public relations officer
  4. Mr. Michel Bardawil: Secretary General
  5. Mr. Roland Khairallah: Treasurer
  6. Professor Aziz Geahchan: Chairman of the Cultural Committee
  7. Mr. Nicolas Mokbel: Chairman of the Social Committee

 

The mandate of this Administrative Board lasted three full years, in compliance with the established bylaws, during which the board held twenty-five legal meetings, all of which were set in written official minutes signed by the president and the secretary general.

  • Three years later, the General Assembly was called again to elect a new Administrative Board on the 9th of June, 2018. The second Administrative Board included Jacques Emile Mokhbat, Roland Elias Khairallah, Michel Elias Abs, Diana Ihsan Bitar, Negib Elias Geahchan, Nicolas Toufic Mokbel, and Nicolas Michel Nassif.

The roles within this administrative board were distributed as follows:

  1. President: Professor Negib Geahchan
  2. Vice President: Professor Jacques Mokhbat
  3. Secretary General: Dr. Diana Bitar
  4. Treasurer: Mr. Roland Khairallah
  5. Chairman of the Cultural Committee: Professor Jacques Mokhbat
  6. Chairman of the Social Committee: Mr. Nicolas Mokbel
  7. Chairman of the Awards Committee: Eng. Abdallah Hayek (after his appointment as a substitute member)
  8. Chairman of the Committee on Information and Publishing: (it remains vacant)
  9. Chairman of the Membership and Public Relations Committee: Eng. Nicolas Nassif
  10. Chairman of the Romaïan Music Committee: Mr. Roland Khairallah
  11. Chairman of the St. Quartos Beirut Project Committee: Professor Michel Abs

As of the date of writing this text, the second Administrative Board held seventeen legal meetings attested by official minutes signed by the president and the secretary general. 

 The most important decisions of the Administrative Board

In this table, the most important decisions of the successive Administrative Boards since inception were:

 

   February8,  2014

  • Submit a request for official permit to the Lebanese Ministry of Interior
  • Request a meeting from the Metropolitan Elias (Audi) and send a letter to him
  • Approve the proposal of the Orthodox Liqa’a to establish a federation of Orthodox bodies in Lebanon
  • Program a symposium on “Romaïans between the past and the present” upon the invitation of the Orthodox Liqa’a on March 17, 2014

 

 

 

   March 1, 2014

  • Visit to the Metropolitan of Sidon and Tyre Elias (Kfoury)
  • Visit of the headquarters of the Orthodox Liqa’a and meeting with its secretary general, Mounir Abu Fadel
  • Visit of Bishop Constantine (Kayal), hegumen of Mar Elias Shwaya Monastery

 

   May 3, 2014

  • A mass and requiem service will be held in the memory of the fall of Constantinople on May 29th 
  • Organize a cultural symposium on the 29th of May in the cultural center of Sin El Fil municipality
  • Adopt the official logo of the society

 

   June 7, 2014

  • Organize regular cultural activities, starting as of October 2014
  • Approve the invitation to organize a trip to the Monastery of Our Lady of Nouriya and to the city of Douma

 

   June 30, 2014

After obtaining the official permit, start printing the official papers, receipts and flyers

 

   September 27, 2014

  • Organize two cultural seminars in Mar Elias Shouaya monastery 
  • Approve the Facebook page of the society
  • Launch invitations to join the Society

 

   November 15, 2014

  • Obtain the financial code number of the Society from the Lebanese Ministry of Finance
  • Approve the registration and filming of the cultural seminars and authorize the recording on video (DVD)
  • Adopt the idea of celebrating the association’s anniversary on January 25th 

 

   December 13, 2014

  • Grant Honor Membership to Archimandrite Seraphim (Bardawil)
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Said Khairallah and Dr. Jacques Mokhbat

 

   January 3, 2015

  • Approve the detailed financial report for the year 2014
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Abdallah Hayek
  • Celebrate the first anniversary of the society in Pasta di Ferro restaurant
  • Decide the price of selling the DVD at ten US dollars

 

   March 7, 2015

  • Accept the membership of Mrs. May Kahali, Berta Khairallah, Mr. Toufic Melhem and Mr. Carlos Saba
  • Approve the program of the cultural seminars for the year 2015
  • Approve the project of Golden Registry for the deceased endowed Romaïan persons
  • Organize the society’s annual lunch on May 10, 2015
  • Agree to sponsor a theatrical performance by the Free Vol group, whose proceeds go to the society
  • Participate in the coordination group of the Orthodox societies and leagues in Lebanon

 

   April 25, 2015

  • Accept the membership of Mr. Bassam Zahar and Mr. Gaby Georges Geahchan
  • Approve  the organization of a divine liturgy and requiem service held on the 29th of May in St. George’s Church (Jdeidet El-Matn)
  • Call for the election of the first Administrative Board on June 6th, 2015

 

   June 6, 2015

  • Distribute the administrative responsibilities within the new Administrative Board
  • Accept the membership of Mrs Raymonde Kazan, Mrs Dulcie Chartouni Zeitoun, Dr. Nicolas Jallad and Mr. Joseph Zeitoun.

 

   June 19, 2015

  • Chose a bank to open a financial account for the society, and organize the treasury
  • Participate to the launching ceremony of the Antiochian Information Center in Lebanon
  • Launch the activity of the Golden Registry of the Deceased Endowed Romaïan Persons
  • Approve the organization of  two cultural recreational trips each year in Lebanon
  • Approve the establishment of a website for the society

 

   August 7, 2015

  • Organize a trip to Deir El Qamar, Jezzine, and Holy Savior Monastery in Joun region at the end of August 2015
  • Program the cultural seminars for 2015 – 2016
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Elias Abdallah Deeb

 

   October 16, 2015

  • Organize a trip to Enfeh, Bnachei and Racheiyn (North Lebanon)
  • Meet the Russian Ambassador, Mr. Alexander Zasipkin
  • Participate to the Greek Orthodox League annual dinner

 

   December 4, 2015

  • Register officially the Romaïan Cultural Society at the Lebanese Ministry of Interior
  • Purchase a website for the society

 

   January 8, 2016

  • Organize the annual lunch of the society on January 25th, 2016
  • Select Dr. Layla Badr as the endowed person to honor on January 25th, 2016
    • Finalize the financial report for the year 2015
    • Organize a visit to the Metropolitan of Tripoli and Koura H.E. Efrem (Kyriakos)

 

   February 5, 2016

  • Approve the project of organizing cultural seminars in the city of Tripoli, and assign Dr. Nicolas Jallad as coordinator

 

   April 8,  2016

  • Adopt the project of Common Ideas  to be presented to  the meeting of Orthodox Associations and Leagues in Lebanon

 

   May 7, 2016

  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to Tripoli in May 2016
  • Select the late Professor Ernest Majdalani as an endowed deceased person to be included in the Golden Register on May 29, 2016

 

   June 10, 2016

  • Call for the Annual General Assembly on July 1st, 2016

 

   July 1, 2016

  • Approve the annual report that will be submitted to the General Assembly
  • Accept the membership of the following ladies and gentemen: Robert Kashou, Diana Sarraf Farah, Souad Atie Ghorayeb, Doris Tobaji, Elie Mouacdie, Bassam Ghazi, Nabil Atallah, Nazem Matta, Michel Abs, Gaby Attieh, and Michel Saadé

 

   September 16, 2016

  • Set a program for the trips, seminars, honoring ceremonies and official visits for the coming year
  • Establish an Information committee
  • Organize a trip to South Lebanon (Maghdouché, Tyre and Qana) on October 8th

 

   October 28, 2016

  • Organize a trip to Cyprus on November 18th, 2016
  • Choose the winter and spring 2017conferences topics

 

   December 2, 2016

  • Select Dr.  Asaad Rizk as the Endowed Person to honor on January 25th, 2017
  • Postpone the trip to Cyprus for economic reasons

 

   January 20, 2017

  • Organize the Society’s annual anniversary on January 25th, 2017
    • Visit the Orthodox Metropolitan of     Beirut  H.E. Elias (Audi)
  • Visit the Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister, President Ghassan Hasbani
  • Establish the North Lebanon Section of the society, and assign Dr. Nicolas Jallad as coordinator
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Elias Khalil, Mr. Fadi Kasrine Al-Halabi, Dr. Khalil Armash, DR. Michel Saadé, Dr. Elias Bitar, and Mr. Rafik Jabbour
  • Approve the 2016 financial report

 

   February 17, 2017

  • Approve the joint statement of the Orthodox Associations and Leagues
  • Organize a meeting for the new members of the society in Tripoli on February 19th 
  • Accept the membership of the following ladies and gentelmen: Mrs. Georgette Saadeh, Mr. Raymond Abou Samra, Mrs. Mona Jahshan Abou Samra and Ms. Diana Jahshan
    • Participate to the dinner of the Lebanese Orthodox League

 

   April 7, 2017

  • Evaluate the two cultural seminars presented in Tripoli
  • Select the late Romaïan governors of Beirut to honor as Endowed Deceased Persons in the Golden Registry on May 29th, 2017
  • Organize a trip on April 29th, 2017 to Anjar, Aita Al-Fakhar and Rashaya
  • Visit the Ministers Mr. Nicolas Tueni and Mr. Michel Pharaon
  • Visit the Lebanese Greek Catholic League
  • Accept the membership of Mr. George Turkieh
  • Meet the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Palestinian Imperial Society

 

   May 5 , 2017

  • Organize the celebration of May 29th for honoring the late Beirut governors
  • Visit the Governor of Beirut, Judge Ziad Shabib
  • Organize a cultural conference in the town of Kfar-Aqa (Koura)
  • Visit the Metyrpolitans Elias (Kfoury) and Ephrem (Kyriakos)

 

   June 9, 2017

  • Call for a General Assembly on July 7th, 2017
  • Approve the resignation of Mr. Carlos Saba from the Administrative Board, and appoint Mr. Nabil Atallah as his substitute 
  • Meet with Minister Mr. Nicolas Sahnawi

 

   October 20, 2017

  • Decide the participation of the RCS in a symposium organized by the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League on October 12th, 2017, and ask Dr. Negib Geahchan to give a lecture entitled “The Romaians, past, present and future”
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to the Akkar region (Menjez, Chadra and Qobayat)

 

   December 29, 2017

  • Approve the annual General Assembly minutes
  • Approve the celebration of the 25th of January 2018 as the anniversary of the Romaïan Cultural Society
  • Choose the artist and composer Dr. Elias Rahbani as the Endowed Person to honor in January 2018
  • Meet the former Governor of Beirut Mr. Nicolas Saba
  • Accept the membership of Mrs. Jackie Badawi Fayyad

 

   February 2, 2018

  • Deliver a comprehensive document on the history, legacy, and presence of the Romaians to the Governor of Beirut Judge Ziad Chebib 
  • Assign the Governor Judge Ziyad Chebib as an honorary member of the society
  • Approve the project of Saint Quartos Day, November 10th, as a the Christian Festival day of Beirut
  • Accept the membership of Dr. Diana Bitar
  • Accept a proposal to organize the first internal conference of the society
  • Organize a cultural symposium at the University of Balamand in March 2018

 

   March 10, 2018

  • Participate in the “First Orthodox Conference” organized by the Lebanese Orthodox Council, and ask Dr. Negib Geahchan to make an intervention
  • Organize the “First Internal Conference” of the Romaïan Cultural Society on “The Historical Presence of the Romaïan Orthodox in Lebanon”
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to Minya and Danniyeh on May 12th, 2018

 

   April 13, 2018

  • Approve the society’s participation in the person of its president in the “Majd and Noor” program organized by MTV on the occasion of the Holy Easter
  • Agree to honor the late Nadim Choueiri as a deceased endowed person within the Golden Registry, on May 29th, 2018
  • Call for the Electoral General Assembly on June 9th, 2018
  • Launch the invitation to the first internal conference of the society on June 9th, 2018
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Nasib Ghobril
  • Visit the former Minister Mr. Nicolas Sahnaoui
  • Participate in the Orthodox National Scout Dinner
  • Participate to the dinner of the Lebanese Greek Orthodox League

 

   May 11, 2018

  • Select the late Alexis Boutros, the founder of the ALBA University, as a Deceased Endowed Person to honor on May 29th, 2018 within the Golden Registry, instead of the late Nadim Choueiri due to the refusal of the latter’s family
  • Approve the practical steps for the Saint Quartos project in Beirut
  • Appoint H.E. Minister Nicolas Sahnaoui as an honorary member of the society

 

   June 29, 2018

  • Distribute the administrative responsibilities within the new Administrative Board
  • Appoint three Substitutes within the Administrative Board
  • Appoint Dr. Elias Bitar as a delegate for the Administrative Board in North Lebanon

 

   August 13, 2018

  • Cancel the membership of two persons who, for a period of three years, refrained from paying the membership fees and participating in the General Assemblies
    • Appoint the specialized committees working in the society
  • Establish of the North Lebanon Section Committee
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Roger Majdalani, Mr. Toufic Bchara and Mr. Chadi Bekhaazi
  • Establish the mechanism of implementation of the Saint Quartos project in Beirut

 

   September 6, 2018

  • Study the recommendations of the first internal conference of the society
  • Reject the recommendation to reduce the cost of trips for members of the society

 

   October 4, 2018

  • Ask all members to abide by the terms of the WhatsApp site and its moral and ethical laws
  • Freeze the St. Quartos project for an indefinite period and for reasons beyond the control of the society
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to the Upper Metn and Zahlé on October 20th, 2018

 

   November 8, 2018

  • Study the possibility of publishing the book of the historian Dr. Imad Mourad on “Schools of the Orthodox Charitable Society in Beirut”

 

   November 23, 2018

  • Visit the  Orthodox Metropolitan of Byblos and Batroun, H.E. Silwan (Moussi)
  • Select Dr. Mounir Abu Assali and Dr. Nayef Maalouf as the Endowed Persons to honor on January 25th, 2019
  • Reduce the selling price of the DVD to the society’s members to ten thousand Lebanese pounds

 

   December 14, 2018

  • Organize the celebration of the Society’s annual anniversary on January 25th  and the honoring of the endowed persons
  • Seek to find an alternative or additional place for hosting the periodic cultural seminars
  • Reorganize the cultural seminars program regarding timing and cocktail

 

   January 4, 2019

  • Visit the Metropolitan of Zahleh and Baalbek, H.E. Metropolitan Antonios (Soury)
  • Discuss the report of the Tripoli and North Lebanon Committee meeting submitted by Dr. Elias Bitar
  • Organize the celebration of the 25th of January anniversary and the honoring of Dr. Mounir Abou Assali 
  • Regret the decision of Dr. Nayef Maalouf to refuse his selection as an Endowed Person to be awarded

 

   February 8, 2019

  • Plan the 2019 Cultural Seminars Program
  • Accept the proposal to organize a scientific conference on the “Educational Renaissance of the Romaïans in Lebanon in the Nineteenth Century”, on May 29th, 2019

 

   March 1, 2019 

  • Visit the Orthodox Metropolitan of Tripoli H.E. Ephrem (Kyriakos) and the Catholic Metropolitan of Tripoli H.E. Edouard Georges (Daher)
  • Visit the Governor of Beirut, Judge Ziad Chebib
  • Appoint the organizing committee for the May 29th conference on cultural renaissance
  • Accept the membership of Dr. Elie Abdelhak and Mr. Emile Habayeb

 

   March 30, 2019

  • Organize a youth meeting on May 4th, 2019
  • Revive the idea to honor engineer Alexis Boutros on May 29th as an endowed deceased Romaïan person
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip on April 13th, 2019 to the Batroun coastal area and Chekka
  • Condemn the Turkish project to convert the Hagia Sophia Cathedral into an Islamic mosque
  • Accept the membership of Ms. Simone Achqar, Mr. Michel Qatra, Mr. Elie Nehme, Mr. Bechara Habib and Mr. Michael Hourani

 

   May 3, 2019

  • Visit the Bishop Constantine (Kayal), hegumen of the monastery of Mar Elias Chouya
  • Approve the final program of the first scientific conference on May 29th, 2019
  • Condemn the lawyer Wadih Akl’ tweet insulting H.E.  Metropolitan Elias (Audi)
  • Accept the membership of Mr. Elie Joun
  • Appoint Mrs. Leah Ma’mari and Ms. Simone Achqar as the media officers of the society

 

   June 7, 2019

  • Approve the report on the youth meeting that took place on May 11th, 2019
  • Institute a small committee to follow up on youth work and youth group development
  • Honor the founders of the Romaïan Lebanese schools in the nineteenth century as Deceased Endowed Romaïan Persons in the Golden Registry 
  • Appoint Dr. Mounir Abou Assali as honorary member of the society
  • Agree with” Right Click” society to create the website of the RCS
  • Accept the invitation by President Ghassan Hasbani for the general meeting of the Romaïan Orthodox Associations and Leagues
  • Accept the invitation of the Russian embassy to participate in the National Day on June 12th, 2019
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to Tripoli, Mina and Koura, on June 22nd, 2019

 

   July 5, 2019

  • Visit the former deputy, Mr. Ghassan Moukhaibar
  • Organize a dialogue meeting with His Excellency the Russian Ambassador, Mr. Alexander Zasepkin
  • Discuss the issue of finding a permanent headquarters for the society in Beirut
  • Meet with His Excellency the Governor of Beirut Ziad Chebib and discuss the participation of the SCR in the Dar Al Nahar publishing house that is being re-established
  • Form a committee for editing the electronic page

 

   September 5, 2019

  • Meet His Beatitude, the Catholic Romaïan Patriarch Youssef (Absi)
  • Meet the President of Balamand University, Dr. Elias Al-Warrak
  • Invite the General Assembly to meet on October 17th, 2019
  • Plan the cultural seminars for the year 2019 – 2020
  • Organize a cultural and recreational trip to the northern Bekaa, on October 19th, 2019
  • Agree with Télé Lumière TV to organize a weekly cultural program called “a Lighting Heritage”, produced by Mrs. Lea Maamari
  • Accept the membership of Mrs. Léa Adel Maamari
  • Close the current WhatsApp page as a forum for discussion and create another group page that can serve as a free forum

 

   October 11, 2019

  • Prepare the administrative and financial report which will be submitted to the General Assembly on October 17th, 2019
  • Agree with the University of ALBA to honor the late Alexis Boutros on November 25th, 2019
  • Approve the second scientific conference project on May 29th, 2020, with the following theme “The role of the Romaïans in the creation of Greater Lebanon”

 

   December 6, 2019

  • Approve the minutes of the General Assembly of October 17th, 2019
  • Approve the resignation of Dr Dina Bitar from the Administrative Board, and the designation of Mr. Michel Bardawil as new Secretary General
  • Postpone the cultural seminar of December 12th to February 6th, 2020 because of the prevailing political situation
  • Postpone the celebration of the memory of late Alexis Boutos to a future date to be chosen later
  • Abolish the anniversary celebration of January 25th, 2020 because of the prevailing economic situation
  • Select 13 subjects to be treated by the RCS on Télé Lumière TV, in the new program “a lighting Heritage”
  • Decide of the subject and coordinator of the second Scientific Conference thet will be held on May 29th, 2020

   January 11, 2020

  • Fix the subject of the first seminar of 2020: the Great Schism of 1054, to be lectured by Professor Jacques Mokhbat
  • Discuss the form and the content of the website:  www.romaion.org
  • Plan a touristic and recreational trip after Easter 2020
  • Constitute the Organizing Committee of the Second Scientific Conference of May 29th, 2020, presided by Governor Nicolas Saba

Permanent Committees

The Cultural Committee: its goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

The Steering Founding Committee began organizing cultural activities soon after its institution, then, the first Administrative Board appointed, immediately after its election, a permanent cultural committee who supervised scientific activities, conferences and publishing. The second Administrative Board, in 2018, did the same, and activities continued with the same momentum.

Successive cultural committees

The first Administrative Board, elected in 2015, appointed Professor Aziz Geahchan as Chairman of the Cultural Committee. The latter continued its work throughout the mandate of the first Administrative Board. This cultural committee included Messrs. Michel Abs, Jacques Mokhbat, Roland Khairallah, Nicolas Jallad and Nicolas Nassif, and was holding regular meetings as needed to set its work programs and supervise their implementation.

The second Administrative Board, elected in 2018, appointed Professor Jacques Mokhbat as Chairman of the Cultural Committee, who has been working, since his establishment, and to this day, in organizing cultural seminars, scientific conferences and the publication of DVDs. This cultural committee includes, as members, doctors Aziz Geahchan, Bassam Ghazi, Diana Bitar and Mr. Roland Khairallah.

Cultural seminars

Cultural seminars were and are still the most important activities organized by the cultural committee. They are defined as scientific meetings that take place every month or two in Beirut, and are announced by invitations sent to the addresses available to the committee, on the facebook page and the website of the society. Each seminar is devoted to a specific topic chosen from the history and heritage of the Romaïans, from their current situation, from their geographic and human spread or from related Romaïan cultural and religious topics. A university professor or expert of the studied subject is invited to present the seminar. The lecturer is asked to use Powerpoint slides, videos and pictures to support the topic he presents, and the attendees are invited to participate, at the end of the conference, in an interactive way.

The number of seminars organized by the Cultural Committee, until the end of 2019, reached twenty-three, the titles of which were mentioned in the list of achievements of the Romaïan Cultural society.

The number of people who attended these seminars varied between 70 and 120 persons.

The Cultural Committee tried also to organize cultural seminars in Tripoli and Koura (North Lebanon), but the number of these seminars has not exceeded five until now.

The first scientific conference

In 2019, the Administrative Board decided to start organizing an annual scientific conference on the date of the fall of Constantinople, that is, on May 29th, to accompany the commemoration of the memory of the deceased Romaïan endowed and illustrious persons registered in the Golden Registry of the RCS. The cultural committee was charged with organizing this annual conference, proposing its theme and chairman, and supervising its implementationk.

The Cultural Committee began organizing, in 2019,  the first scientific conference entitled “The educational renaissance of the Romaïans in Lebanon in the nineteenth century”, and headed by Professor Mounir Abou Assali. A number of university professors, of historians and of directors of some of the remaining schools from that period lectured in this conference. This event included a seminar on the twenty Russian schools that were established in Lebanon in the nineteenth century.

The Cultural Committee intends to organize a second conference in 2020 entitled “The Role of the Romaïans in the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon”.

Publishing

The Cultural Committee supervised the publication of all cultural symposia that it had organized since 2015, in the form of audiovisual DVDs. The number of seminars published until the end of the year 2019 reached eighteen DVDs. All these can be purchased by contacting the headquarters of the society or during cultural seminars and conferences. The committee also published the work of the first conference of 2019 on two DVDs.

The “Lighting Heritage” Program

At the end of 2019, the Romaïan Cultural Society agreed with Télé Lumière Noursat TV station to organize a cultural weekly program called “Tourath min Nour” (Lighting Heritage), which aims to present scientific, cultural and historical topics related to the past, present and future of the Romaïans. The broadcast of the first 13-episodes network will begin in early 2020. The cultural committee plans and coordinates this emission which is presented by Mrs. Lea  Adel Maamari, a member of the Romaïan Cultural Society.

Permanent Committees

The Social Committee: its goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

The Steering Founding Committee began organizing, soon after its institution, cultural and recreational trips inside Lebanon, inviting the members of the society and their friends. Efforts multiplied after the election of the first Administrative Board in 2015. Social activities include cultural and recreational trips to selected areas that carry a special Christian and Romaïan legacy, an annual celebration on January 25th, date of the foundation of the society, a requiem commemoration and a social event on May 29th, date of the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans, and social receptions at the cultural seminars and conferences.

Successive social committees

The first Administrative Board, elected in 2015, appointed a social committee on June 19th, 2015, chaired by Mr. Nicolas Mokbel. The committee included Mmes. Mireille Geahchan, Dulcie Chartouni Zeitoun, and Messrs. Roland Khairallah and Said Khairallah, and received from the Board the necessary recommendations to start organizing social activities.

The second Administrative Board, elected in 2018, reiterated the appointment of Mr. Nicolas Mokbel as chairman of the Social Committee. The committee was composed of Mmes. Mireille Geahchan, Diana Jahshan and Messrs. Said Khairallah and Elie Moacdié. This committee is still active to this day.

Recreational cultural trips

The Romaïan Cultural Society organizes, each year, two or three trips, heading to different regions of Lebanon. However, the society also intends to organize longer trips to regions outside Lebanon, especially to the countries of the Levant, and to countries with a Romaïan cultural or historical background.

The trips’ destination are selected to cities and villages where the Romaïans live or have lived in the past, and which bear a distinctive Christian cultural background. The participants in these trips enrich their knowledge by discovering the visited sites. All the trips include three main aspects that complement each other leading to the success of the event and the satisfaction of the participants. These three facets are: 

  • Choosing a cultural Christian and Romaïan site where historical Christian and Romaian monuments or useful activities such as museums are available
  • Choosing an interesting natural or urban site to visit and that helps for the entertainment
  • Organizing breakfast or lunch in a fine restaurant, located in a beautiful natural or urban location

The combination of these three facets in the same trip makes it more attractive and successful, in addition to accurate cultural explanations provided to the participants by the tour organizers, the tour guides or the scientific experts. The success of these activities is reflected in the number of participants which increased successively, reaching in the year 2019 to more than one hundred persons.

You can review the destinations of these cultural and recreational trips that have been carried out to this day in the “Achievements of the Society” section and see pictures of them in the “Social Activities” section.

Annual celebration of the 25th of December anniversary

Since the first anniversary of the founding of the society in January 2014, the Social Committee has been tasked with organizing an official banquet in which the members and friends of the RCS meet at a high-end restaurant in Lebanon. The society added to this anniversary a celebration event honoring one of the living Romaïan endowed and outstanding persons, and put it under the patronage of a prominent Romaïan figure dealing with politics, economics or culture. These annual celebrations were filmed and recorded; the official delivered addresses were recorded on Facebook, reported in the press, and published on the YouTube program.

The tragic May 29th memory

It is no secret to anyone familiar with the history of the Romaïans that the twenty-ninth of May 1453 was a tragic and sad day, during which the Ottoman invaders took over the city of Constantinople New Rome, that is, the imperial city, the historical capital of the Romaïans. On that day, the Romaïan Emperor Constantine XI suffered martyrdom with thousands of his people and his senior aides, clergy, monks and nuns. Thirty thousand Romaïans were captured and enslaved in Constantinople itself, and the great cathedral Agia Sofia, as well as many monasteries and churches, was desecrated and converted to Islamic mosques.

Therefore, the Romaïan Cultural Society holds this memory annually, and the Social Committee invites the members of the RCS and all those who sympathize with the great Romaïan heritage to participate in a prayer (Trisagion) for the repose of the souls of these martyrs and other Romaïan martyrs through all ages and sites. For this reason, the society called this day the “Day of the Romaïan Martyrdom”, and paired it with honoring one of the deceased endowed Romaïan persons (engraved in the Golden Registry).

Hospitality in cultural seminars and conferences

In every cultural symposium and in every scientific conference organized by the society, the social committee supervises the reception of the participants and guests, and arranges cocktails for entertainment of the attendees. The committee also supervises the filming of events, recording, documenting and publishing them for the general public benefit. 

 

All of these social activities are subject to the supervision of the treasurer of the society, either from the income side or from the expenses incurred by the society. The finances of the social events are all published transparently in the annual budget report and detailed copies are sent to all the members of the society, periodically by e-mail.

Permanent Committees

Membership and Public Relations Committee: its goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

Since the foundation of the society, great care has been paid to the idea of honoring the endowed persons, and it was agreed to establish a “Golden Registry for the Reposed Romaïan Endowed Persons”, and its framework was rapidly structured.  Later, after the election of the first Administrative Board, a permanent committee was appointed to cover two fields: honoring the alive endowed persons on January 25th, the anniversary of the founding of the Romaïan Cultural Society, and honoring the reposed endowed persons on May 29th, the memory day of the fall of Constantinople, the Romaïan capital and the Queen of Cities. In this context, the society adopted its own anthem, the kontakion of the Annunciation composed by the Ecumenical Patriarch Sergius when Constantinople survived the siege of the Persians at the beginning of the seventh century, and starting with these Greek words:  “Ti Ypermakho stratigo”.

Endowed Persons Award Committee

In the first Administrative Board, Professor Jacques Mokhbat took over the chairmanship of the Award Committee, which included the Secretary General Mr. Michel Bardawil, Mr. Carlos Saba, Mr. Gaby Geahchan, Mr. Abdallah Hayek and Mr. Bassam Zahar. This committee started its job by honoring Dr. Leila Badr as an alive endowed person and Dr. Ernest Majdalani as a reposed endowed person.

In the second Administrative Board, the Award Committee was chaired by Engineer Abdallah Hayek, and the latter chose the following society members in his committee: Dr. Jacques Mokhbat, Dr. Nassib Ghobril, Mr. Gaby Geahchan, General Toufic Melhim and Mr. Bassam Zahar. This committee pursued the work of the first committee, and developed it by adding an annual scientific conference on May 29th with the help of the Cultural Committee.

The Golden Registry of the Reposed Endowed Romaïan Persons

The Golden Registry of the Reposed Endowed Romaïan Persons  project was approved by the steering founding committee during its meeting on March 7th, 2015. The project consists of the following articles:

Article 1: In accordance with the goals of the Romaïan Cultural Society, specifically the exploration of the Romaïan cultural heritage and the highlighting of individual and institutional capabilities, encouraging, unifying and honoring them in Lebanon and the world, starting from the year 2015, a registry called the Golden Registry of Romaïan Endowed Persons, is created including the names of the reposed Romaïan persons who, in their earthly lives, shined by their deeds and accomplishments.

Article 2: Is classified Endowed Creative Person and deserves to be included in the registry anyone who has enriched his church, community, country, or the whole humanity with a distinctive work characterized by uniqueness, courage and invention. This work should be an act of collective and lasting benefit, with no manifestation of personal material or influential benefits.

Article 3: The Romaïan Cultural Society establishes a committee consisting of three to five members, the majority of whom are not members of the Administrative Board, that is charged of the proposition and selection of Romaïan endowed persons. The committee should study in depth their biography and submit to the Administrative Board a report supporting their choice. The name of the chosen person shall be included in the Golden Registry following the decision of the Administrative Board, voted by its absolute majority.

Article 4: The Golden Registry can be divided, later on, into sub-regional records, so that each geographical region including a significant Romaïan population may dispose of its own Registry. These subcommittees that select the regional endowed persons should then include at least two personalities from the region to which the chosen person belongs.

Article 5: The awarding celebration reserved to honor the endowed person chosen by the society takes place during a social event in which his biography and accomplishments are announced by the Award Committee. The creator’s family, friends and colleagues are invited to participate to this event. The Golden Registry delivers a Certificate of Endowment to his family, relatives or colleagues.

Article 6: The Romaïan Cultural Society seeks, if possible, to publish or highlight the achievements of the endowed person in all media, intellectual or cultural ways, and by all means.

Honoring the Alive Endowed Persons

Since 2016, the Award Committee has been honoring annually an alive endowed person who is best known for his scientific, artistic or literary creativity and for his role in serving the community and manifesting ethical attitudes without any personal profit. In the anniversary of the founding day of the society on January 25th, the awarded person is invited to the banquet organized, by the social committee, under the high patronage of a prominent Romaïan figure. The accomplishments and biography of the honored person are presented, and the latter is invited to give an address summarizing his life experience. The society provides the honored person with a bronze shield bearing his name and the date of the award. Below is the shield presented by the society to the first honoree, Dr. Leila Badre:



The Honorees awarded similar shields are:

  1. Dr. Leila Badre (2016), an archaeologist and president of the American University of Beirut Museum
  2. Dr. Assaad Rizk (2017), a surgeon, the director of Rizk Hospital and former Minister in Lebanon
  3. Dr. Elias Rahbani (2018), the famous Lebanese composer, musician and writer
  4. Dr. Mounir Abou Assali (2019), chemist, founder of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Lebanese University, and head of the Lebanese Educational Research Center.

Honoring the Reposed Endowed Persons

In application of the “Golden Registry of Reposed Romaïan Endowed Persons” project, the Award Committee began organizing an annual commemoration event on May 29th, to honor the endowed persons who had been chosen by the Administrative Board, following their recommendation by the committee. The first celebration took place in 2016, under the high patronage of His Excellency the Governor of Beirut, Judge Ziad Chebib.  Then was honored the late Professor Ernest Majdalani, founder of pediatrics specialty in Lebanon and head of the Pediatric department at the Saint George Hospital in Beirut.

The following persons were added to the Golden registry:

  • In 2017, former Beirut Governors, Late Nicolas Rizkallah, George Assi, Bachour Haddad, Philippe Boulos, Emile Yanni, Chafik Abou Haidar, Mitri Nammar and Georges Samaha.
  • In 2018, the architect Late Alexis Boutros. But the event was postponed, at the last moment, for technical reasons outside the will of the society. The Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), whose founder was late Alexis Boutros postponed the event.
  • In 2019, the founders of the Romaïan schools in Lebanon during the nineteenth century, including the founders of about twenty Russian schools.

The names of all the honorees were included in the Golden Registry. Their families or institutions have received the following registration certificate:



The Anthem of Constantinople

The Romaian Cultural Society adopted the anthem of Constantinople, called the kontakion of the annunciation, which was composed by the Ecumenical Patriarch Sergius, in 626, after the city of Constantinople survived the long and dangerous siege that the Persian army struck around it. The Patriarch bore the icon of the Mother of God (Theotokos) and toured the city walls, chanting the following kontakion:

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials that I may call out to you: “Hail, unwedded bride!”

Permanent Committees

Membership and Public Relations Committee: its goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

The experience of the Romaïan Cultural Society during the first few years of its existence proved that affiliation to a cultural society is not as important or as tempting as affiliation to political parties or recreational and social gatherings. Therefore, the Administrative Board of the RCS formed a committee for Membership and Public Relations headed by one of its members (Engineer Nicolas Nassif), and including Messrs Elias Khalil, Georges Turkiye and Said Khairallah. It has been charged with taking care of the process of membership and with developing public relations in order to introduce the society to the public and attract those who are interested in the Romaïan heritage.

The Administrative Board has prepared an Application Form for membership published on this website, and the demand can be submitted through it. The Application Form should be accompanied by a photocopy of the identity card, or a photocopy of the civil registry, a recent photograph, and the membership fee for the first year of affiliation (one hundred thousand Lebanese pounds or its equivalent in other currencies).

The Committee for Membership and Public Relations studies the Application Form and submits its recommendation to the Administrative Board that makes the final decision of acceptance or rejection.

It is necessary to make it clear that membership in the Romaïan Cultural Society is not limited to followers of any one religion or community, but is opened to all individuals, regardless of their religious affiliation or nationality. The most important determinant of affiliation to the RCS is your interest in the Romaïan culture and in the values and ethics developed by the Romaïans through the ages.

Permanent Committees

The Youth Committee: its goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

The Administrative Board noted that the youth’s interest in cultural affairs remains limited at this age, compared to other interests such as politics, social activities and church parishes. That is why one of the Administrative Board’s members, Dr. Diana Bitar, was charged with taking care of this committee and calling for youth meetings aiming to introduce them to the society and its activities.

Indeed, an extended youth meeting took place on May 11th, 2019, which included no less than thirty young men and women. The president of the society and experts in team work gave them speeches on the RCS and its goals. As a result, Dr. Diana Bitar and Messrs. Imad Bardawil and Michel Fallah were charged of follow-up and coordination between the youth and the society hoping to develop common activities.

Permanent Committees

The Regional Committees: Their goals and reports

The Article VI of the Fundamental Bylaws of the Romaïan Cultural Society states that the society has the right to establish committees and specialized bodies whose functions and powers are defined in the internal bylaws or by the Administrative Board. The thirteenth article of the Internal Bylaws declares that the Administrative Board designates the heads of the committees, who, in turn, chose the members of the committees. The committees submit projects and proposals to the Administrative Board, and supervise their implementation after obtaining its approval.

The Romaïan Cultural Society was established, first, in Beirut, by a group of sixteen members, but it later expanded with the affiliation of many others from Northern Lebanon. Therefore, the Administrative Board found it necessary to institute a local committee in Tripoli and North Lebanon to take care of the members in that region, and to organize local activities similar to those taking place in Beirut. However, the work of the North Lebanon Committee with regard to culture, conferences and social activities has to remain in full coordination with the central committees of the society, which emanate directly from the Administrative Board.

Initially, the Tripoli and North Lebanon Committee was chaired by Dr. Nicolas Jallad; then, Dr. Elias Bitar was assigned this responsibility, given the obligation of frequent meetings with the Administrative Board and the various committees in Beirut.

The Tripoli and North Lebanon Committee consists of Dr. Elias Al-Bitar as Chairman, Dr. Nicolas Jallad, Dr. Elias Khalil, Mr. Fadi Kassrine Al-Halabi, and Dr. Jackie Badawi Fayyad as members. This committee has proven successful by recruiting a significant number of new members to the society in this region, and in its numerous meetings with religious and academic figures in Northern Lebanon.

The Romaïan Cultural Society hopes to extend its activities, inside and outside Lebanon, to different age, regional, and professional groups, making it hopeful to establish local committees in those regions or countries, or to create professional groups of its members.