Dive into Lebanese history
The village has a number of notable visitors and figures among its population. The French writer, poet and politician Lamartine wrote about the Hasroun’s red-tiled roofs, likening them to a bouquet of roses and French military general and statesman Général de Gaulle stayed at Hotel Awad, today a private residence. The Maronite bishop and librarian Giuseppe Simone Assebani hails from Hasroun and the village gave the Maronite Church two patriarchs: Jacob and Simon Awad. The famous Cinema Dunia in Beirut had its homonymous sister in the village and though the movie theater is no longer operational, its location endures as a testament to a former era. The first pharmacy in the Bsharreh district was established in Hasroun, owned by the late Joseph Boustany, known as the “doctor of the region.” Though the establishment shut down after his death, its memory remains a source of pride for locals.