Time for the public and artists to meet and share. One of the raisons d’être of the Maison Fraykeh is to welcome anyone curious to enjoy a unique experience in an exceptional setting, taking the time to appreciate the environment.

The Maison Fraykeh’s mission is to enable all committed artists and companies to express their art and present it to the public for one or more evenings, whether as part of a seasonal programme or as part of an annual festival, where a wide variety of events can take place.

The special feature of this venue is that it allows everyone to come together after the shows, performances or installations, for a discussion or debate, for a moment of conviviality and reflection, for spiritual nourishment, while sharing a drink and enjoying some quality natural foods. Through these exceptional moments, Maison Fraykeh seeks to reconnect with the country’s past, rich in true human feelings and sensations, while facilitating the act of the Present, to open up to the potential of the Future.

Moments of intense artistic and cultural fervour.

Ever since he acquired this house in the 1970s, Mounir ABOU-DEBS has always wanted to support artists by enabling them to perform in this exceptional venue.

In 1983, in the midst of the civil war, he and his friends involved in culture (Father Maroun AATALLAH, Alfonse PHILIPPS, Halim JARDAK, etc.) set up days to promote the arts, which were attended by the most eminent personalities of the time (Youssef ELKHAL, Antoine KERBAG, etc.). These days made a real impact, despite the country’s disastrous situation, until 1991.

Once the civil war was over and people became aware of the tragedy, there was a greater need for art and culture. This led Maison Fraykeh to set up a festival in 1999, with the aim of simultaneously producing a multitude of very diverse shows (theatre, dance, concerts, etc.), always accompanied by exhibitions by painters, photographers or sculptors.

This festival took place every year until 2014. It was unique in that it brought together Lebanese artists and personalities such as:

• The troupe of the Théâtre Moderne de Beyrouth
• directed by Mouni Abou-Debs
• Antoine KERBAGE and Jihad El Andari, actors
• Ibrahim and Nassim Maalouf, musicians
• Alphonse Philips, German painter living in Lebanon
• Aref El Rayes and Halim Jardak, painters
• Mazen Kerbage, painter and musician

• French writer Jacques Lacarrière
• The Franco-Spanish dance troupe MANDRAK directed by
• Toméo Vergès
• Jean-Luc Jeener’s French theatre company Nord-Ouest
• The jazz singer Daniella Barda

Between 2014 and 2016, the festival was interrupted by the death of Mouni Abou-Debs.

From 2017, some events took place, not really in the form of a festival, but rather evenings for poetry or a few concerts, with various exhibitions

With the participation of:
Paul de Brancion, poet and publisher

Once again, these evenings were disrupted by major events destabilising the country until 2021.

Catherine TOURNE, publisher

On 08 August 2022, the Maison organised a special open day to announce the resumption of its activities. As a result, Maison Fraykeh is in the process of putting on 3 shows – dance, theatre and song – for September 2023, to revive its memory as a meeting place for everyone.