The cross soars more than 240 feet into the air and is lit up with 1,800 spotlights in the mountain village of Qanat Bekish, according to Father Farid Doumit, a Maronite priest in the village.

Building the cross took about two years and cost some $1.5 million, which mainly came from donations from the Maronite Church and a French Catholic group. The cross stands near a church that dates to 1898.

Monday's inauguration came on the eve of the feast of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Lebanon is a pluralistic society with 18 different religious sects and a parliament split equally between Christians and Muslims. Lebanon is also the only Arab country with a Christian head of state.