Perched on a sacred hill, facing the Lebanese Presidential Palace, the Hadat–Baabda Campus has been, since its construction in 1996, the physical expression of the visionary spirit of the Antonine Maronite Order (OAM). This deeply rooted Maronite congregation in the history of Lebanon has long been committed to realizing an ambitious academic project that goes beyond simply welcoming and teaching student brothers.

In the 1960s, the Order made its first attempt to obtain official authorization to establish a university. However, its efforts were unsuccessful. The government at the time aimed to limit the proliferation of private universities in favor of the Lebanese University (LU). In 1980, the Order embarked on a collaboration with the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, but this plan was hindered by regulatory and logistical issues.

On July 24, 1990, the tide seemed to turn. Under the leadership of a transitional government, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers issued a decree granting the OAM the right to establish a university consisting of 5 institutes. Unfortunately, the newly formed government that replaced the transitional one later repealed the decrees issued during the transitional period. This step only increased the Order’s determination and faith that this decree should be renewed.

When the Presidential Palace was reopened in 1993, the late President Elias Hraoui paved the way for a decree. However, it was only 3 years later, on October 5, 1996, that the government led by the martyred Prime Minister Rafic Hariri enacted a decree allowing the establishment of Antonine University (UA). The Order then appointed Fr. Louis Rohban as the head of their brand-new University.

In 2016, the University added a monastery on the heights of the Hadat–Baabda site. Thus, a spiritual dimension was added to the University’s academic life, symbolized daily by the tolling of its bell.

Programs 

Antonine University, Hadat–Baabda Main Campus
P.O. Box: 40016 Hadat–Baabda, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 5 927000 | Fax: +961 5 927001
Email: contact@ua.edu.lb