The history of Lebanon: MUSEUM OF KHALIL GIBRAHN

Khalil Gibrahn - poet and artist (1883-1931)

He is known as one of Lebanon's famous poets, a philosopher, essayist and novelist mystic and painter whose work was influenced by the bible and Nietzsche and William Blake's works.
Khalil was born in Bcharr'e on 6th January 1883 having received his education in Beirut he and his family emigrated to the USA where he lived in Boston and returned to Beirut in 1898. Gibrahn continued his studies where he learnt classical arabic. in 1903 he moved back to Boston and published his first essays and work and where he met his wife Mary Haskell who became his partner for all the rest of his life. Khalil developed his visual art skills in 1909 when he lived in Paris where he studied under August Rodin. He went to new York and continued his work in literary essays and short stories. while in New York he began painting pieces of work influenced by william blake his most popular written works in 1923 were The Prophet which became an international best seller.
Gibrahn died in 1931 and his body was returned to Lebanon where he now remains in a casket at the khalil Gibrahn museum located in Bcharr'e which is housed inside a monastery building where some of his personal possessions are also kept.
The collection of his possessions which are housed in the monastery building are his paintings drawings and some of his manuscripts, his coffin is inside the Monastery chapel which is carved in the stone building.