Estephan El Douaihy
Maronite Patriarch, Historian
Estephan El Douaihy or Istifan al-Duwayhi (Arabic: اسطفانوس الثاني بطرس الدويهي / ALA-LC: Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī; French: Étienne Douaihi; Latin: Stephanus Dovaihi; Italian: Stefano El Douaihy; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his death. He was born in Ehden, Lebanon.
He is considered one of the major Lebanese historians of the 17th century and is known as “The Father of Maronite History”, “Pillar of the Maronite Church”, “The Second Chrysostom”, “Splendor of the Maronite Nation”, and “The Glory of Lebanon and the Maronites”. After his death, he was declared a Servant of God by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On 3 July 2008 Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable. On August 2, 2024, he was beatified at a ceremony held in Bkerké, Lebanon.
Biography
Early life
Estephan El Douaihy was born on 2 August 1630 in Ehden to the noble Douaihy family. At the age of eleven, recognized as a brilliant young talent, he was sent to the Maronite College (Seminary) in Rome. He studied there for fourteen years, from 1641 to 1655, being cured of a serious condition that almost led to blindness. Douaihy believed that the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was responsible for his cure.
“Estephan El Douaihy” enters the record as maronite Patriarch, Historian. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Estephan, Douaihy and Maronite can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1369889. VIAF identifies the subject as 54237670. The Library of Congress control number is n85271557. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1630, 1704, 1670 and 2008.
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